


It All Begins at the End

by Eleonorapoe



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Adult Albus and Scorpius, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Big Brother James, Boys Kissing, Complete, Curse Breaking, Denial of Feelings, Flashbacks, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, James Sirius Potter is a Good Sibling, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Teddy Lupin/James Sirius Potter, Non-Graphic Smut, Older Characters, Potioneer!Albus, Researcher!Scorpius, Second Chances, Second first kiss, Slow Burn, Soulmates, St Mungo's Hospital, Supernatural Illnesses, Wandless Magic, magic kink, minor cheating, minor self-harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:01:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24661204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eleonorapoe/pseuds/Eleonorapoe
Summary: So much time has passed by that Albus wonders if he still means something to Scorpius. Last time they saw each other, ten years ago, they were breaking up. Now Albus is standing in the hospital room and Scorpius is sleeping in the bed in front of him, looking like a fallen angel, and Albus can't find the strength to overcome the distance. It seems like a few more steps but in reality, a decade of life without each other lies between them.In which a curse that separated Albus and Scorpius once reunites them now.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 32
Kudos: 78





	1. Ten Years Ago

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much [littlescarletstar](https://littlescarletstar.tumblr.com/) for all your advice and revisions.

“Hey, I’m home,” Albus called as he stepped out of the fireplace at his and Scorpius’ apartment. He sighed when nobody replied. Though it was only Monday he felt exhausted like he had been run over by a herd of hippogriffs. He’d had a terrible day at work – when he was attending to a customer at his first post-Hogwarts job at Apothecary in Diagon Alley, he’d accidentally spilled an infusion from salamanders' eyes on himself and now he couldn’t wait to get the reeking shirt off him and find some ease in Scorpius’ arms.

So, he was slightly annoyed when Scorpius didn’t reply because Albus knew he had only morning classes at the healers’ school today. 

“Scorp, are you home?” he called from the empty living room as he continued walking through the apartment into their bedroom to change. When he reached the bedroom, he heard some muted noise from behind the door. He froze and placed one hand on the doorknob and his other hand clasped around his wand. More sounds of shuffling and muffled voices escaped from behind the door.

“Scorpius?” he breathed out and opened the door. A noticeable “ _ pop _ ” of apparition resonated through the room when he entered. Scorpius was standing behind the bed, fumbling with a zipper on his pants. The bedding was a mess, same as Scorpius’ hair. 

“Ehm, you’re home early…” Scorpius spoke but Albus wished he would stay quiet. He looked consternated and he tried to reach out to Albus who started to back out of the room.

“Please, Albus, wait. Nothing really happened. She meant nothing, please, don’t be mad…” Scorpius pleaded and even Albus could see how distressed he was. 

But Albus couldn’t do this anymore. “I’m not mad,” he said coldly. “I was mad when I caught you for the first time. I was heartbroken the second time. Now I’m just disappointed.”

Scorpius cried out, “I’m so sorry! I don’t know what is wrong with me,” he sobbed, “but I can’t help it… they flirt with me and my brain gets blank and next thing I know…”

“Please spare me. I’m fed up with your excuses,” Albus stopped him harshly. “I’m going to James’ place, and please – be gone when I come back tomorrow after work.”

“But, Albus, I love you…” Scorpius squeaked desperately. 

“Please, don’t,” Albus replied in cold-blood and left.

When he came back to the empty apartment the next day, he felt odd and numbed. Scorpius had taken all of his belongings. Half of the wardrobe was empty, same as the drawers under the window, the nightstand at his side of the bed, sparse books on the bookshelves – everything screamed at Albus that Scorpius had left.

But Albus felt like Scorpius was still here – his presence was shaped by a void which he left in the apartment and also in Albus’ heart.

Albus had no clue how he managed to get himself to work and back home. He vaguely remembered the concerned look of James and some calming draft which he mixed up with some fire whiskey. One day without Scorpius and he had no idea how to continue with his life. 

He sat on the bed and cast “ _ Scourgify _ ” all around him like the spell could rub the memory of Scorpius from his mind. It couldn’t, but Albus decided it was worth trying.

A few days later James burst into Albus’ apartment through the green flames of the Floo. Albus blinked at him – confused, but didn’t bother to move a muscle.

“Albus, what the hell! Teddy told me that you quit your job at Apothecary! What are you trying to do?” James was fretting.

Albus finally focused his gaze on James. “Oh, hello, what are you doing here?” he asked sheepishly.

“What the actual fuck, Albus, what did you take?” James' eyes darted to the coffee table, searching for… something. He grabbed Albus’ forearms to shake with him slightly, but Albus hissed when James touched him. James looked down and quickly released his grip. Albus’ arms were ragged and bloody.

“What have you done?” James breathed out and started to inspect Albus’ damaged skin.

“I tried to get him off me, I still can feel him all around me, you know? I needed it to stop,” Albus mumbled.

James glanced back to the table; the only potentially harmful objects he could find were multiple empty vials from a calming draft and three bottles of drunken fire whiskey.

“How did you scratch your skin?” James demanded an answer.

“ _ Scourgify, _ ” Albus chanted to demonstrate the power of the simple spell used over and over on one targeted area.

James yanked Albus’ arm to the side to avoid the spell. “Ok, that’s enough! We need to take you to the hospital,” he said in a non-negotiable tone of voice.

“James, please, don’t…” Albus squeaked in panic. “I can’t face him, not now and not looking like this,” Albus gestured with his wounded hand.

James wrapped one arm around Albus’ back and helped him stand up. “It will be ok, I promise. I will tell them that it was an accident in a potion laboratory, ok? I’ll take you right to the infirmary, there is no chance we could bump into Scorpius, right?”

Albus nodded weakly and let James apparate them to St Mungo's.

The healer who treated Albus was nice, he didn’t ask for any details about the alleged accident. He just calmly cleaned the wounds, applied a healing oil, and muttered “ _ Ferula _ ” to bandage Albus’ arms. Then he asked Albus to sit in the waiting room while he gave James some aftercare instructions.

“Mr. Potter, your brother isn’t in a state to care for himself properly right now, he needs to sleep off the effects from combining calming draft and alcohol,” the healer explained to James, who tried to object, but he was stopped. “Please, take him home and give him this sobering potion. It will make him sleepy. Tomorrow he can take the bandages off but keep an eye on him. Once he’s fully come back to his senses, I would recommend he seek out some help from a mind-healer. He can make an appointment at some private practices, which are located all over the UK.”

“Uhm, thank you, but I don’t think my brother will need a mind-healer, it was just an accident,” James insisted.

“You don’t need to explain anything to me, it’s not my business. I would tell the same thing to anybody who came here with this type of injury and obviously in distress. I can assure you that I’m bound by a healer’s vow not to discuss patients’ health with anyone, understand?”

James nodded, thanked the healer, and stepped outside of his office to take Albus home.

The next day Albus woke up with the biggest headache of his life. It was like having a gold mine inside his brain with all the pounding and throbbing. He tried to pull his weak body out of the bed, when he noticed the bandages wrapped around his arms. His brain was slowly catching up with all the memories of the past week, which made his headache even worse.

There was a soft knock at the door, followed by James entering Albus’ bedroom.

“Hey, you’re up,” he greeted Albus cheerfully. “How do you feel?”

“Just peachy,” Albus squeezed through his teeth sarcastically.

James sat on the edge of the bed and put a vial on the nightstand. “It’s ok, just take this for the headache,” he instructed Albus with a sympathetic look.

Albus obliged and drank the potion in one gulp.

“Better?” James asked, and Albus nodded with a pathetic attempt for a smile.

“That’s good,” James smiled back but it really didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t want to pry, but could you tell me what happened? How did you end up in this mess?”

Albus sighed and threw himself back on the bed. He wasn’t ready to speak about what had happened, but he knew that James would never let it go. “I broke up with Scorpius,” he murmured, almost to himself.

“Yeah, you mentioned that when you asked to crash at my place on Monday… but you’re clearly miserable. If you want him back, just talk to him. I’m sure he still loves you…” 

Albus laughed in a deep and hollow-hearted voice. “You think? I wouldn’t be so sure, you don’t cheat on people you love, do you?”

James' eyes widened in shock. “He cheated on you? That’s not possible, he adores you, Albus, I can see it in the way he looks at you, how he talks about you… It must be some misunderstanding.”

“It wasn’t the first time, James, he has been cheating on me for at least a couple months. And I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m fucked up, but if I had continued with this relationship, I would end up worse,” Albus sighed.

James patted Albus’ hand sympathetically. “I see, his true Malfoyness showed up,” he smirked. “I understand you need some time to process, but you shouldn’t throw your life from an astronomy tower just because of one shitty boyfriend,” James appealed. “You could talk to a professional, get some new perspective…”

“I know, you’re probably right,” Albus had to admit, “but right now I know the only thing – I can’t see him ever again. I can’t bear the thought of him moving on… How pathetic am I?” Albus shook his head disapprovingly.

“It’s ok,” James soothed him. “Take some time to think about what to do next. I will be here for you, I will help you get back on track, all right?” 

Albus pushed one corner of his lips up in an attempt for a smile, and he let James take off the bandages and help him with breakfast.


	2. Head of Potioneering

Nothing ever felt right without Scorpius. But Albus hadn’t any other option than to set this constant subconscious feeling of wrongness as his new default and move on with his life.

And he moved also in a quite literal sense – he relocated to Scotland, just to avoid the possibility of encountering Scorpius in Diagon Alley or during any of the social events which their families attended together.

He applied as a potion assistant at the biggest potion laboratory in the UK, which supplied healing potions to St Mungo’s and other wizarding hospitals. The laboratory was located in the center of Cairngorms National Park – distant from muggles and with a lot of space to grow its own potion ingredients. Allanaquoich, the nearest town, was mostly occupied by wizards and witches working at the laboratory, masked as a farm with multiple barns on the map.

Albus was quite content with his simple lonely life. He lived mostly for the work, therefore it was no wonder he became the youngest Head of Potioneering before he was thirty. As a Head of a department, he was responsible for the brewing schedule, oversaw all the junior potionists and himself brewed the most intriguing potions – such as Wolfsbane Potion. 

Sometimes he felt like all the responsibility would crush him. But from the outside, he seemed confident, passionate about his work, and a good tutor to the young students who worked with him in a trainee program.

But he hadn’t anyone special with whom he could share all the small things in his life. Occasionally he went on a date to distract himself from the long string of lonely nights and to feel another body pressed against him. Like with Leo, Head of the Supply Department. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the best idea to go on a date with a colleague. It was much harder to confront someone after you’d had your tongue in their mouth.

“Leo, my laboratory is still short on that wolfsbane I ordered last week, what’s happening?” Albus questioned Leo during their lunch break.

“It’s not that simple, wolfsbane isn’t on the list of ingredients we can outsource, because we have our own crop,” Leo explained lazily, not bothering to look up from the file on his desk.

“Which we don’t,” Albus objected dryly.

“You can file a complaint with the Department of Cultivation, it isn’t exactly the problem of my department that they didn’t supply you the wolfsbane, is it?” Leo snarked.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Albus shouted out of frustration. “I’m not here to play the blame game! I could make the Storage Department responsible for all the crop that was eaten by nargles. Or I could blame the nargles! Even better! But any of it will not stock the missing wolfsbane to my laboratory! So, I’m just asking you if you could order fucking wolfsbane from independent contractors to prevent angry, hungry werewolves from running around the country next full moon.”

Leo finally turned his head to Albus and said in a very still voice, “I really want to help you, Albus, but I’m not able to place the order if the ingredient is not on the list.”

“But it isn’t on the fucking list because in a standard situation we have our own crop! It’s a catch-22!” Albus slammed his fist on the desk so hard that all the files raised in the air and fell down all out of order. More likely it was an act of accidental magic than brutal force; it tended to happen to Albus when he was too worked up to control his temper.

“What was that?!” Leo stood up abruptly and stared at Albus with wide eyes.

Albus stepped back and composed himself. “Are you trying to get back at me because I wasn’t interested in a second date? I hoped that we both could remain professionals…” 

“Oh, please, don’t turn it into some home quarrel, I didn’t make the rules but they should apply to everyone – if you’re insisting on professionalism,” Leo stated smugly.

Albus grunted in some sort of agreement. He realized that he would not get anywhere by forcing Leo. He decided to try a different approach. “I’m sure an exception can be made in these circumstances… It is not about me or about us, the Wolfsbane Potion doesn’t benefit only the people who are affected by lycanthropy, it also protects all of us from harm. You have the power to help everyone, Leo, please, I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t know you’re the only one who can save the day!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll become the famous protector of the wizarding world by processing a wolfsbane order.” Leo was mocking Albus, but his eyes gave away that he was actually enjoying that Albus needed him. “Ok, I guess you can fill a 3E form for your order, those are the red ones on the top shelf,” he added casually and returned to his now-scattered files on the table.

Albus summoned one of the red scrolls to his hand –  EXPRESS EXCEPTIONAL ENTREATY was stated on the top of the almost thirty inch long parchment, which unrolled from Albus’ fingers to his feet.

“Thank you, you were… really helpful,” Albus mumbled sarcastically on the way from Leos’ office. He was not looking forward to filling this beast out for the rest of his lunch break.

He sat grumpily in his office as he ticked all the totally unnecessary queries, like if the ordered item spouts fire or if it required a cage or another device to be stocked. Albus wondered why someone from a potioneering facility would need to order a living dragon.

His thoughts were interrupted by Winnie, his laboratory assistant.

“I heard that you had a fight with Leo from Supplies,” she barged in with hands full of food containers. “By the way, I noticed you missed lunch, so I brought you some soup and sandwiches!”

Albus took the meal from Winnie with a thanks and added a sassy remark, “Rumors spread around here so fast, that I would guess they must apparate!”

Winnie passed his observation and asked him shamelessly, “You two broke up?”

“What?” Albus was surprised. “Is there anything that you guys don’t gossip about? Not that it’s any of your concern, but we weren’t together, it was just one date, nothing more. Actually, I don’t do relationships, I suck at them.”

Winnie looked at Albus like he was gonna die at any minute. “Maybe you haven’t met the right person yet?” she suggested weakly.

“I’m afraid that my problem is that I already have,” Albus muttered and bit absentmindedly into his sandwich.

Winnie walked over to the schedule board with the plan of potions that their lab should brew this week. “Did we get the ordered ingredients from Supplies? We’re behind on the Wolfsbane potion,” she noticed.

Albus raised his head from the scroll, which was rolling from the table around his legs on the floor. “Actually, that’s the real reason why I had a fight with Leo. That twat still didn’t approve our order, can you believe it?”

Winnie looked concerned. “But we need to get it done before the next full moon…”

“I’m working on it,” Albus pointed to the half-filled form on his desk, “and for today we can start with the Soulmate Withdrawal Potion.”

Winnie hummed in agreement and started rearranging the tasks on the board. She pulled out the ladder and climbed up to reach the top row of instruction cards. She had to do it manually because, though she was born to a wizarding family, she had never shown any magical abilities. Nevertheless, she was very good at potions; Albus knew she was far too experienced and skilled to work as just a regular assistant. But because she hadn’t been enrolled in Hogwarts, she couldn’t take N.E.W.T.’s level Potions and therefore he was not allowed to hire her as a Potion Master.

To Albus’ constant astonishment, Winnie was never bitter about it. Rather the opposite: she was grateful for the chance he gave her and she was satisfied in her job. Albus was ashamed to admit it, but this arrangement quite worked for him – since he had started at Hogwarts, he’d had trouble feeling others' magic around him. Usually, it made him nauseated, which was also the reason why he gravitated to potions. He could handle the magic of his family members, he’d felt exceptionally well in the presence of Scorpius’ magic, but when he had to be around strangers casting spells and the vibrations of their magic, he felt sick to the stomach. For example, the one night spent with Leo. That guy used spells for literally everything, and his magic felt cold and sticky like holding someone’s sweaty hand. Albus had been so anxious to get out of his apartment as soon as possible. Which probably caused the whole wolfsbane-order debacle.

A clatter of glass interrupted Albus from his train of thought. Winnie was loading a trolley with vials of blood from those who were hospitalized at St Mungo’s with Soulmate Syndrome. She was checking each name on the vial with an order from the hospital before she handed over the blood vials to Potion Masters in the laboratory to brew blood-specific Soulmate Withdrawal Potion for each patient.

For a moment she stopped her movement and gazed dreamily outside the window. “When I was a girl, I thought how romantic it would be to have a soulmate,” she sighed over the blood samples.

Albus sneered at the idea. “I wish that cheap paperback novels would stop feeding people this bullshit.”

“You are absolutely right! I don’t know where they came up with that concept anyway,” Winnie wondered.

“I think it’s a relic from ancient times. Back at the dawn of wizarding society, soulmate magic had its importance for building up marriages with the strongest and the most compatible magic to produce the next generation of wizards. And also, to prevent inbreeding,” Albus added disdainfully. “Actually, the whole problem has been quite recently recognized, I think it hasn’t been even ten years since soulmate magic has been classified as a curse and started to be treated with a potion,” he stated.

“But the potion doesn’t heal the curse completely, am I right?” she asked to carry on their little academic discussion, which they both always enjoy so much, though she knew the answer. 

“No, there is no cure – so far. The potion just helps to relieve some of the symptoms which develop when a cursed person isn’t bonded with their soulmate,” Albus started in his lecturing voice. “Soulmate magic usually wakes up around puberty, but till the early twenties the symptoms aren’t easy to recognize. It is often an inability to establish a long-term relationship, frequent changing of partners, a constant feeling of being incomplete – everything easily attributed to adolescence. With age, the symptoms increase – rigor, seizures, and loss of appetite are added. In the last stage, people must be hospitalized and under nutrient potion twenty-four hours a day, the curse consumes all of their magic, and eventually, their body gives up.”

“That is a terrible way to die!” Winnie squeaked.

“Yeah,” Albus replied grimly. “Luckily Soulmate Curse is quite rare these days, it occurs almost exclusively in ancient pure-blood families. The curse has been diluted by healthy muggle blood, that’s why the soulmate phenomenon is less frequent. On the other hand, there has been an increase of people who suffer from separation disease because they can’t find their soulmate.”

“Is there any location spell that can be used?” Winnie wondered.

Albus shrugged. “None that I know off, but what good would that be? The soulbond doesn’t make people fall in love, it’s basically just a magical form of arranged marriage. There is nothing romantic about having only two options – to bond or to die!”

“That’s what I didn’t realize when I was a ten-year-old kid, dreaming about true love,” Winnie murmured and went back to checking the St Mungo’s order. “And the worst part is that they’re all so young…” she grieved. “Look, the oldest patient from this week’s order is your age – year of birth 2006. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy…”

Albus didn’t hear anything else that Winnie was saying. The last three words were ringing in his ears. Magic vibrated through his whole body, he felt like he was standing in the middle of a hurricane. A shockwave of magical energy burst out from him, and it smelled like burned matches.

When Albus came to his senses, he was laying on the floor, Winnie leaning over him surrounded by chaos and broken glass.

Derek Nott – one of the Senior Potion Masters and Albus’ deputy, rushed in from the laboratory, wanting to know what happened.

“Everything is under control, Derek,” Winnie assured him, “I accidentally dropped dragon’s blood into pixie powder, I’m sorry. Is anybody hurt?”

“No, everyone in the lab is ok, the pressure wave shattered the dividing window between the office and the laboratory, but we can easily fix it,” he said with a look glued to Albus, who was slowly picking himself up from the floor with Winnie’s help.

“Thank you, Derek,” Albus smiled meekly. “Please, take the trolley with you and start working on the Soulmate Withdrawal Potion.”

Derek did what he was told and returned to his cauldrons.

“What happened?” Albus asked Winnie when they were alone.

She furrowed her brows and replied, “I don’t have any personal experience, but I would guess it was accidental magic. You looked like you were in a trance and then a wave of power burst out from your torso and swept away everything in its way.” Winnie looked concerned and maybe a little scared, but mostly there was pity in her eyes.

Albus hummed and got lost in his own head for a moment.

“Winnie, I need to take a couple days off,” he decided.

She nodded, but Albus could see her start panicking, her eyes flickering from him to the door which led to the laboratory.

“Relax, it will be ok,” he tried to calm her. “You have to make sure that the Supply Department receives and authorizes our order and that they deliver the wolfsbane. Derek will handle everything else.”

After some hesitation she accepted, and Albus returned to that damn 3E form. He tried to appear that he was fine, but his hands were trembling and he felt dizzy. He was glad that Winnie had lied to Derek for him and that she didn’t pry at all, but it didn’t change how ashamed he felt for not being able to control his emotions.


	3. St Mungo's

Albus got permission to deliver the freshly brewed soulmates’ potions to St Mungo’s in person and to take a couple days off. He assured his team that he’d be back on Monday, but frankly, he didn’t know. He had no idea what was waiting for him in London, or what he hoped to achieve by this “trip”.

He put on his potioneering robe, pinned the supplier’s identification badge on it, and entered St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. It was like he was wearing James’ invisibility cloak. Nobody paid him any attention. He received a few polite nods and smiles, but nobody stopped him, and he swiftly made his way through the building to the second floor, where the Magical Bugs Ward was located.

This ward was accessible only during visitors’ hours with a scheduled appointment by the Main Healer, because some of the diseases treated here were contagious, such as Dragon Pox. Albus rang a bell on the door and flashed his supplier’s badge through a small window to a tired-looking healer, who opened the door for him with a flick of her wand.

Albus greeted her. “Soulmate Withdrawal Potion,” he gestured to the box under his arm.

“Please, be so kind and put it in the medicine cabinet in the healers’ room, if you press your badge to the door and use _Alohomora_ it will let you in,” she instructed Albus before a gagging noise interrupted her and she withdrew back into the patient’s room with an apologetic look on her face.

Albus wandered down the corridor and looked for the healers’ room. He hated the smell of hospitals. The pungent odor of Scouring Charm mixed with too many healing spells clung to the roof of his mouth. When he found the right door, he opened it as the healer had told him to and stacked up the vials of the potion in the cabinet. He held on to Scorpius’ vial for a little longer, thinking about him.

The last time he had seen him was almost ten years ago. His stomach clenched at the memory. After Albus had kicked him out of their apartment, Scorpius never tried to contact him. At the bottom of his heart, he hoped that Scorpius would come back, asking for forgiveness, but he knew it would be pointless. Things between them were far too broken.

But now he felt the need to see Scorpius one last time. Was he entitled to make an unannounced visit to his childhood friend?? Or his first love?? 

A memory of their first encounter drifted to the surface of Albus’ mind.

_ Halo of golden hair reflecting in the autumn sun. Smile reaching to his eyes. Outstretched hand, long and elegant fingers clutched around a sack of candy. He was singing, “Sweets, they always help you make friends.” Albus always suspected that he fell in love with him then and there.  _

He needed to see Scorpius before he was gone forever…

He snapped back to the present and looked around for the rooms’ diagram. Scorpius H. Malfoy – room 215. He stepped out into the hallway and put on his professional, bored face. Without any detours he approached Scorpius’ room, hesitantly took the handle, and entered inside.

Scorpius lay in bed on the other side of the room, asleep. A different but very familiar vibe of magic swathed Albus. Dim light illuminated Scorpius’ face and transformed him into some kind of fallen angel. He looked pretty, but so fragile. He was much thinner than Albus remembered him. His sharply-chiseled cheeks were hollow now, and his arms, poking out from under the blanket, were bony and skeleton-like. 

Albus moved two steps closer. Scorpius’ lips were slightly parted and he was panting. Albus felt a sudden urge to kiss him once again; he could almost taste the smooth honey flavor on the tip of his tongue like the first time.

_ The first time they kissed was on Christmas Day during their sixth year. Albus stumbled from the fireplace at the Manor in the middle of the night. Scorpius was slouched on the sofa, snoozing. The sound of Albus’ steps woke him up. _

_ “Hey,” he smiled sleepily, “I wasn't hoping you'd be coming anymore.” _

_ “No way, I wouldn’t miss our secret date, I had to wait till everyone was asleep,” Albus whispered and sat on the sofa next to Scorpius, handing him a small wrapped box. _

_ “Oh, thank you,” Scorpius beamed, and launched at Albus and wrapped him into a tight hug.  _

_ Albus buried his nose into the crook of Scorpius’ neck and breathed in. He loved the smell of citrus which always radiated from Scorpius, it soothed him, but today he could also smell a strong scent of santal wood. It must be a cologne which Scorpius had never used before, maybe an early Christmas gift from his dad. He breathed in one more time to decipher the new scent. In the last couple of months, he’d frequently wondered how Scorpius’ soft and warm skin would feel on his lips. The urge started bubbling in his veins. He pecked Scorpius’ neck softly, graced the sensitive skin behind Scorpius’ ear with his lips. Scorpius flinched, his mouth agape. Albus’ pupils went wide and he didn’t dare to exhale in horror at what he had done. But Scorpius didn’t retreat, instead, he tilted his head and slowly closed his eyes. Albus mirrored his movements and joined their lips in the middle. All the magic power inside Albus erupted and rose to the surface of his skin, crackling under Scorpius’ touch.  _

So much time had passed by that Albus wondered if it still meant something. He’d hit rock bottom when Scorpius and him broke up. And now, standing in the middle of the hospital room, he couldn’t find the strength to overcome the distance. It seemed like only a few more steps, but Albus was aware that in reality a decade of life without each other lay between them.

He turned around, tiptoed from the room, and rushed out of the hospital almost in a panic attack. He wandered about the streets of muggle London immersed in his thoughts. It was pitch dark when he finally set his mind. 

He left the maze of London streets and found his way back to St Mungo’s. He put on the robe and the badge and slipped in. Nobody stopped him when he climbed the stairs to the second floor, nor when he let himself into the Magical Bugs Ward by Unlocking Charm and his supplier’s badge. He knocked on Scorpius’ room, and when he heard the muffled invitation, he came in.

“Al-Al-Albus,” Scorpius stuttered out in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi,” Albus greeted him shyly. “I work for a potion laboratory, who supply soulmates’ potions to St Mungo’s and they needed me to deliver today’s batch…”

Scorpius smiled, a fraction of his characteristic all-teeth smile. “Uh, ok…”

Albus' mouth went dry, he realized that his cool was gone. “Sorry, that was a lie. I mean… I do work as a Potion Master, that’s how I noticed your name on the order for the Soulmate Withdrawal Potion when we were checking the blood samples to extract the magic for it, but… I’m here because I wanted to see you,” he confessed. “I’m sorry, I had no right to barge in on your privacy like this, I think, I should go, sorry…” he mumbled, backing up to the door.

“Wait,” Scorpius stopped him. “Please, stay.”

Albus glanced up and shuffled to Scorpius’ bed.

“Please, stay…” Scorpius repeated, “I would transfigure the chair into something more comfortable for you, but you know…. there is almost no magic left in me,” he sighed and gestured towards the chair under the charmed window. “I didn't hope to see you again, but I wished for it… And I could really use some company before I’ll be bored to death here,” he chuckled at the last comment, and Albus gasped in shock.

“Too soon?” Scorpius snickered and Albus chortled at that.

“So, how do you feel?” Albus started the conversation as he pulled the chair up to Scorpius’ bed.

“I have been better,” Scorpius sighed, “but to be honest, I was also worse. Now that you ask, I realize that I feel pretty ok given the circumstances...”

Albus smiled politely. “It’s probably the soulmates’ potion, you just got your first treatment today, haven’t you?” Albus guessed, and Scorpius nodded. “Not to be rude, but you’re pretty old to have just started with the potion. Or have you been treated in another country?”

“Oh, thanks, like you’re any younger,” Scorpius grinned, and continued in a serious tone. “But no, I wanted to live my life normally as long as possible. But a few weeks ago, things started to deteriorate rapidly. My usual self-medication has stopped working and I just… I knew it was time to go back home.”

Albus understood what Scorpius meant by that. Without noticing it he reached for Scorpius’ hand and gently squeezed it to give him some comfort, the way he used to when they were together or even when they were friends. Some habits never go away. And it felt so right to hold Scorpius’ hand again that Albus couldn’t bear the thought that he would be gone soon. 

Scorpius had to see the worry on Albus’ face, because he reassured him, “Hey, I’m ok, it’s been a long time since I accepted it.”

“How long,” Albus’ voice hitched in his throat. “For how long have you known?”

“It's been more than ten years since I started to notice that there was something wrong with me. I suppose the primary symptoms were there even before, but I didn’t make the connection until I got the seizures… Then I realized that the progression of them was very similar to what I saw with my mum – the lack of appetite, fevers with chills…”

“Your dad knew she was cursed?”

“I suppose he did, but they were always talking about a blood curse – no more specific. I think he felt guilty that my mum chose him, though they weren’t soulmates, which eventually led to her death. Like I would blame him! You can’t choose who you feel for, right? So, I get it that they wanted to live their life fully, with loved ones, even though the time which has been given to them was short.”

“Have you told him?”

“No, I didn’t want him to feel responsible for what happened to me. There is nothing that he could do… But I want to see him before… You know… That’s why I came back.”

Albus nodded. Even Scorpius wasn’t able to say those words aloud. Albus steered the conversation away by asking him: “So, where have you been for all these years?”

“Everywhere – China, India, Egypt…” Scorpius started to remember. “After I found out about the Soulmate Curse, I dived into research. In the first few years, I became obsessed with finding a cure. But there is none, really. It was a dark period for me, but in the end, I made my peace and dedicated the rest of my time to gathering as much knowledge about the Soulmate Curse as I could. I hope one day my research could help others, you know?” And he placed his hand on the pile of notebooks that were shelved on the bedside table.

“Yeah, but, Scorp, why didn’t you tell me anything? You didn’t have to go through all of this alone, I would have been here for you…” Albus couldn’t fathom.

Scorpius pursed his lips. “Al, we had just broken up…”

“I know,” Albus interjected, “but we broke up because of the Soulmate Curse’s symptoms!”

“Does it really matter?” Scorpius questioned him. “Would it hurt less if you knew that some curse made me hook up with all those witches?” 

“I don’t know,” Albus admitted.

The silence stretched between them until Scorpius interrupted it. “Hey, do you think you could get me some candies?”

“You want something to eat?!” Albus marveled.

“Yeah, I’m kind of hungry…” Scorpius tried to justify his request.

“But you’re on nutrient potions, aren’t you?” Albus checked.

“Yes… is it a bad sign to be hungry?” Scorpius hesitated.

“You mean being hungry for sweets,” Albus teased him, “but no, I think it is a miracle that your appetite came back… An apple or some turkey ham would have higher nutritional value…” 

Albus trailed off, but Scorpius cut in, “Can you please grant a wish to a dying man and bring him a fucking bag of Pepper Imps?”

Albus gagged. “You haven’t pulled that card! I can’t believe it!” he exclaimed in moc offense, and Scorpius chuckled. Both of them burst out laughing and Scorpius’ eyes scrunched above that big all-teeth smile. Albus had almost forgotten what this smile could do to him.

“Ok, calm down, before somebody comes upon us. It's long past visiting hours,” Albus hushed Scorpius when he caught his breath again. Then he slipped from the room to the corridor and out to the fourth floor, to the cafeteria. When he came back, he made sure that no healer was in sight before he stepped into the ward and sneaked over to Scorpius.

Scorpius beamed when Albus fetched him a bag of the requested Pepper Imps. “Do you want some?” he asked.

Albus took one peppermint candy and with full mouth asked Scorpius to move. Scorpius shifted to one side of the bed and Albus climbed in next to him.

“Comfy?” Albus asked Scorpius, who vigorously nodded.

Both of them sank into the pillow. A stream of light shone through the enchanted window right across their faces, so Albus closed the curtains with a spell, and darkness shrouded the room. They sucked Pepper Imps and giggled whenever they breathed fire or smoke fumed from their ears and nose.

Albus raised his hand above them and waved his wand in very intricate looking moves. “ _ Astrum exhibeo _ ,” he whispered, and a stream of magic rippled from his fingertips, lighting up the ceiling above them with a night sky.

“Oh, that’s impressive,” Scorpius breathed out. “Do you wow all your dates with enchanted ceilings?”

Albus chuckled. “No, I’ve never felt the need to impress any of my dates, but I can see how it could work out. Anyway, it’s just a trick for stargazing, not a real enchanted view of the sky outside.”

“Right,” Scorpius breathed out. “Can you tell any of the constellations?”

“Other than Scorpius, which you taught me? Not really,” Albus admitted.

“You can use the Astronomy Charm to show the name of the constellation,” Scorpius advised him.

“Like that?” Albus asked, waving the wand one more time, and chanted: “ _ Nomen _ !” and scrolls with names of the constellations unfolded under each cluster of stars.

“Good, but you forgot to orient the spell with Polaris first,” Scorpius corrected him.

“Ok, Polaris is that one?” Albus asked and pointed his wand up.

“No, that’s Sirius, which you should probably know.” Scorpius sighed, took Albus’s wand, and by its tip showed the brightest star. “This is Polaris,” he said. “Just point the wand to it and chant  _ Nomen _ …”

A stream of sparks flew from the wand and interrupted his instructions. The scrolls shifted over the sky to the right positions.

Albus looked in surprise at Scorpius, who stared at the wand in his hand, equally astounded.

“I… I haven’t been able to… to perform even  _ L-L-Lumos _ for weeks,” Scorpius stuttered.

Scorpius’ magic enveloped Albus like a warm hug and he inhaled deeply the familiar scent of citrus. He would never say how much he’d missed that smell! But before he could really dive into his memories of happier days, he was snapped out by pounding on the door.

“Shit, healers are doing rounds!” Albus cursed and jumped off the bed.

“Hide! Apparate!” Scorpius panicked.

“No one can apparate inside the hospital, you know that!” Albus hissed.

“Mr. Malfoy, are you alright?” The healer asked from behind the door and took the handle. A stripe of light dropped on Scorpius' freaked face. “I’m coming in!” The healer announced.

Albus did not linger another second. He quickly leaped to the entrance and pressed his back against the wall just as the door flew open and hid him.

The healer stepped in and looked at the ceiling above Scorpius in disbelief. “What happened here? Did you do it?”

Albus didn’t wait for Scorpius’s reply, instead, he took advantage of the situation and slipped into the hallway unnoticed. When he darted out of the hospital, he stopped to catch his breath. The entire evening was re-playing in his head – his heart was pounding, his head spinning. And not from the exercise. No, it was because of the possibility that maybe…

He needed to come back tomorrow! 


	4. Come Home with Me

The next day, he stopped at a candy store on the way to St Mungo’s and bought an enormous bag of muggle sweets for Scorpius.

“Hello, I’m here to visit Scorpius Malfoy,” he greeted the young witch who opened the door to the ward for him.

She went white and stammered, “Umm, can you please go to the healers’ office, I will send Healer Wright for you.”

Albus furrowed his brow, but he knew better than to ask the Healer in Training unnecessary questions which she probably couldn’t answer, so he made his way to the office and waited tensely for the Main Healer to show up.

The door opened and the healer with the tired face from the previous day entered the room. “You came to see Mr. Malfoy?”

“Yes, my name is Albus Potter,” Albus introduced himself and she nodded.

“I remember you, you’re the potioneer who delivered the Soulmate Withdrawal Potions, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah, that was me,” Albus confirmed. 

“I’m sorry, my dear, but I’m afraid that I can’t let you in to see Mr. Malfoy…” she said.

“I know, I didn’t make a proper appointment, but I’d hoped I could see him during visiting hours…” Albus said.

“Are you a family member?” she asked him.

“Not really,” Albus replied. “Is something wrong with Scorpius?”

The healer exhaled. “I can't give you any information regarding Mr. Malfoy's condition since you’re not a family member. He’s under sleeping potion right now and no visitors are allowed…”

“No,” Albus interrupted her. “I can help him if he got worse! He needs me!”

“I’m sorry, Albus, but the only thing my patients need are their soulmates… Beside them, nothing can help them,” Healer Wright said gloomily.

“What if,” Albus paused, “what if I’m his soulmate?”

Healer Wright gasped. “That’s not possible! You are… You both are… That’s not how the Soulmate Curse works…”

“I know, believe me, I couldn’t wrap my head around it all night,” he exclaimed, “but I felt it. I think I felt it,” he added. “Yesterday I used my Supplier’s badge to slip into the ward after visiting hours – please, don’t get mad about this…” he tried to diffuse Healer Wright’s offense, “and I saw how our magic connected. It’s hard to describe but Scorpius’ health improved rapidly – he got hungry and ate a pack of sweets, which I’m sorry, again, and before I left, he cast a spell! And not some basic  _ Lumos _ but a N.E.W.T.’s level charm!”

Healer Wright narrowed her eyes and said, “The Healer from the night shift reported some extraordinary values in Mr. Malfoys’ charts… Ok, I don't understand it, but if there is something which could save any of my patients, we should try it. Come with me, Mr. Potter,” she prompted Albus and led him to Scorpius’ room.

Albus froze in the doorway. Scorpius lay in the bed, just like he first saw him, but he looked anything but peacefully sleeping. His face was rigid, his skin was sickly grey and his chest was barely moving. He looked dead.

Healer Wright gestured to Albus to follow her to the bed.

“W-w-what should I do?” he stuttered.

“Try the Warming Charm, blood-cursed patients get cold easily so it should help him either way,” she suggested.

Albus stepped closer, pulled out his wand, and gave it a complicated little wave accompanied by a silent “ _ Calor _ ”. The moment the spell hit Scorpius, it kicked back like static electricity discharge. He clutched the wand tightly and proceeded with the spell. His toes started to tingle and heat spread through his body. 

“Did it work?” he turned to the healer, who was monitoring Scorpius with her wand.

“His body temperature is rising,” she stated and questioned Albus, “Can you feel anything?”

“Yeah, it feels like… pins and needles in my legs? And I’m hot,” he tried to describe what he was experiencing.

“You can lower your wand, dear,” she instructed Albus, and he slumped on the chair next to her. “The tingling sensation – it is how the Warming Charm works. You felt what he was feeling. There is no doubt you two are soulmates,” she said, sounding consternated.

“Um, what does it mean?” Albus shifted his weight awkwardly.

Healer Wright looked up at him. “That means, from a healing point of view, that we recognize you as Mr. Malfoy’s family. You are welcome to visit and I would encourage you to stay as long as possible.”

“Ok,” Albus confirmed. “Is there anything I can do for now?”

“The physical proximity helps, the symptoms of the curse can be calmed down with the magic of their soulmate in their presence. But there is no need for that, as long as the Sleeping Potion is stabilizing Mr. Malfoy’s condition,” the healer said as she was heading out of the room. “I must say, I’m no expert on this part of soulmate magic. Unfortunately, it has never occurred before, a soulmate appearing all of a sudden by the death-bed of my patient…”

Albus snapped his head to the healer. He could see how bad Scorpius was, but the mention of… of the word he and Scorpius had tried to avoid, brought him to the verge of tears.

The healer mimicked reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Albus, from this point things can turn only for the better. Do you know Mr. Malfoy’s parents or other close relatives?”

“Yes, I do know his dad, should I contact him?”

“That is what we don’t know,” Healer Wright said with a frown. “Mr. Malfoy didn’t state any emergency contact, but he mentioned during the admission that he was coming back home to say goodbyes. After his symptoms worsened so rapidly last night that even soulmate’s potion didn’t work, we put him under magically-induced sleep to stabilize him enough to hopefully tell us if we can call someone for him.”

Albus lowered his head, battling the tears. “He mentioned that he would like to see his dad once again. So, should I call for him?”

“I believe that the decision is up to you if you would like to contact his father or wait until Mr. Malfoy is awake. But the situation is completely different today. Since you’re with him, his life is not in immediate danger,” healer replied and that was all Albus needed to hear. That nothing bad can happen if he sticks with Scorpius. 

“Yes, you’re right, I'll wait for Scorpius what he wants to do,” Albus said firmly.

“Ok, and don’t hesitate to come to my office if you feel sick, feverish, or any different at all. It seems that the curse isn’t causing you any major issues, but we should keep an eye on you,” Healer Wright urged Albus with the best intentions on her mind. They said goodbye for now and Albus found himself alone with a deathly-looking Scorpius in the bed.

He aimed his wand at the only chair in the room and transformed it into a padded armchair in lime-green color and collapsed down on it. Thoughts were swirling in his head. He felt out of place here, waiting for Scorpius to wake up. They had been close once, but that was over a decade ago. Nowadays they were nothing to each other. Actually, they were soulmates. What a sick joke! The curse which separated them once, now reunited them.

He rested his head on the side of Scorpius’ bed and all the memories which he had suppressed for years came back. 

_ He remembered the freezing New Year's Eve night when Draco took them to some fancy Parisian party and they had stood on the balcony and waited for midnight. It was just a week after their first kiss, they’d barely started dating. Scorpius looked unbearably handsome in his bottle-green suit, his hair glistening in the dim light from the ballroom. They both leaned against the balustrade with a glass of champagne in one hand. The air was bursting with possibilities and anticipation, what the new year would bring. Albus felt a prickling of their magic whenever their pinkies brushed against each other. Their conversation was filled with giggles, longing glances, and secret touches after too much champagne. The weight of the three significant words was crushing Albus’ chest harder and harder. He was pondering whether he should cast a Silencing Charm on himself before he blurted the words out. The feeling of being in love with Scorpius bubbled inside him, threatening to spill out right there. But it was crazy to say “I love you” after only a couple kisses and one heated snog in the hotel room right before the party! Albus looked at Scorpius, and he knew that he was fucked. Scorpius' eyes were gleaming with the same affection and tenderness as his own. The fireworks roaring above their heads drowned out the words as they both at the same moment said,  _ “ _ I love you. _ ”

The love was long gone, but the happy moments of them together were still in Albus’ heart. Was it enough to build something new?

Albus hadn’t the slightest clue, all he knew was that he still cared for Scorpius so deeply that the thought alone of him being gone was tearing his heart apart. Maybe it was selfish, but he needed to know that Scorpius was alright.

Long thin fingers brushed Albus’ curly fringe out of his eyes. He looked up and met Scorpius’ gaze. 

“Um, hello, you’re here… And I’m also still here…” Scorpius whispered, sounding surprised and still half asleep.

Albus smiled fondly at him. “Of course we are, how do you feel?”

“Like somebody put me to sleep with an oak hammer,” Scorpius joked and added, “but mostly fine. Though, I think I was dreaming about you…”

“Hopefully it was a pleasant dream…” Albus winked and Scorpius' pale cheeks turned slightly pink. “Oh, not that kind of pleasant, you filthy man!” he cried out.

Scorpius laughed and gestured with his hands. “No, no, don’t worry, nothing like that. I had a feeling that you were around. I could get used to that…” he admitted shyly.

“I would like to be around…” Albus assured him and sighed. “But unfortunately, I have to go back to work tomorrow.”

“Oh, I know! I didn’t mean it like that. That you’re obligated or anything… I’m glad that we saw each other,” Scorpius babbled.

Albus patted Scorpius’ hand to calm him down. “Easy, I really meant that. I actually wanted to ask you if you would like to come home with me?”

Scorpius' face went blank in shock, mouth agape and breath stuck in his throat. “You mean, like… like to… to move in with you?” he stumbled over his own words.

Albus nodded.

“No! Why?” Scorpius squealed, to Albus’ utter confusion.

“Why?! Seriously, Scorp? Isn’t it obvious? I thought that you were the bright one!” Albus didn’t understand. It was the only logical solution and Scorpius must know it!

Scorpius scowled. “I’m not a charity case, Albus, I made it on my own for ten years now!”

“Dear Merlin, you’re unbelievable!” Albus lashed out. “I’m not trying to take you home as a stray kitten! I just proposed a solution to our situation!”

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. “Our situation?” he asked dumbly.

Albus couldn’t take any more of this act, he spread his hands in a desperate gesture. “That we’re fucking  SOULMATES !” he exclaimed.

Scorpius’ brows sank back and his shoulders slouched. “Oh, you know…”

“Yeah, I figured it out all by myself, what a shock,” Albus gritted out through his teeth.

“I thought since the curse doesn’t affect you…”

“Maybe not in the same way as you, but I noticed that you get better anytime I’m here and when I cast a spell on you while you were sleeping, I felt how our magic connected,” Albus explained.

“I understand,” Scorpius said in a low voice, “but you can’t throw away your life for me, I wouldn’t want that.”

“We are in this together, Scorp, I don’t offer you anything more than a couch in an old barn in the middle of nowhere.”

“Please, don’t sell it so high,” Scorpius sneered. “But it actually doesn’t sound like…”

“Nothing,” Albus interrupted him and Scorpius smiled.

“Like a big deal,” he corrected Albus.

“Exactly. It’s chill,” Albus grinned. “We can take things one step at a time, ok?”

“Ok,” Scorpius beamed.

“Great,” Albus smiled back and stood up from the armchair to talk to Scorpius’ healer about taking him out of St Mungo’s. He knew Scorpius would be better with him, as they were soulmates, also as he was a capable Potion Master and could provide him any necessary care. Before he left the room, he hesitated and turned back. “Scorp, do you want to call your father?” he asked and his voice was tense.

Scorpius' face sank immediately and he didn’t say anything for a while, battling arguments in his head. Albus waited, not wanting to pressure Scorpius into any decision.

“I would like to see him, I need to,” Scorpius finally spoke, “but I would prefer to do it in my own clothes and maybe at a table.” He looked around helplessly, “So, I would rather wait a couple of days and arrange a proper meeting with him, you know?”

“Yes, of course,” Albus reassured him. “By the way, I brought you some muggle candy,” he said and levitated a big plastic bag full of a colorful assortment of sweets from the floor under the armchair to Scorpius' lap.

Scorpius eyes sparkled and with a full mouth, he mumbled thanks as Albus was leaving the room.


	5. Soulmate Magic

Not even two hours later they were ready to leave St Mungo’s from the Apparition Point at the lobby.

“Do you want to change your mind and floo?” Albus asked Scorpius with concern.

Scorpius shook his head. “No, your magic prevents me from Soulmate Syndrome, so in theory, I hope, Side-Along Apparition will be more manageable. But as always, be prepared for the worst,” he cracked a (not so) reassuring smile.

“Ok, so grab my arm and don’t let go,” Albus told him firmly and stepped inside the circle which marked the space from which they could apparate.

“Oh, I would never, are you scared now?” Scorpius replied snarkily and took Albus under his armpit. 

Albus clutched his wand and concentrated deeply on the destination – his home. He thought about the smell of antique wood, the creaky red door and gold glitter of dust swirling in the air when they apparated. A wave of magic washed over him, squeezing every surface of his body. When the pressure on his eyelids eased off, he opened them and saw an old barn standing at the edge of a farm.

As they landed, Scorpius leaned heavily on Albus, unable to stand on his own. Albus took him around his waist and helped him up to the porch of the barn.

“Are you ok?” he asked Scorpius.

Scorpius was pale and his voice was trembling. “I think I’m gonna be… sick…” He hiccupped, his face went blue and before Albus could react, he puked all over Albus’ shoes and the porch.

Albus didn’t flinch, he tried to keep Scorpius on his feet and after he was done, he walked him to the bench which stood in front of the main door, and sat him down.

“I’m so sorry, Albus,” Scorpius apologized and looked utterly embarrassed when Albus leaned over the content of Scorpius' stomach, which consisted of gastric acid and half-chewed gummy bears and other colorful sweets.

“Don’t worry about that, it will be gone with just one wave of the wand,” Albus assured him. He swept his wand over the floor and his shoes and let the mess disappear. “But we should be worried about your eating habits, you’re no longer twelve, so a bag of jelly slugs doesn’t count as a meal,” he laughed.

Scorpius smiled weakly back; Albus helped him stand up and both entered the house.

“So, you really live in a barn,” Scorpius said, a hint of mockery in his voice.

“Kind of,” Albus replied. “It was a barn, but it was rebuilt to be three apartment units for the staff of the potioneering facility. I live on the ground floor, my assistant Winnie lives in the flat across from mine and in the attic apartment are two trainees from the laboratory.” He opened the door to his flat and let Scorpius walk in.

“The whole facility is built in the old farm; the newer buildings are hidden under a Disillusionment Charm from the muggles. There are a few shops, a bakery and a coffee shop inside the area, but most of the staff live elsewhere and apparate or floo to work,” he explained.

“But you stayed here…” Scorpius said, looking around Albus’ place.

“Yeah, I quite like the peace and quiet here. Besides, I never needed a bigger place…” Albus showed Scorpius through the whole flat. “It isn’t much…” he said almost as an apology.

“No, it’s perfect. I never had a place I could call home after I moved out of our apartment,” Scorpius confided.

“How is that?” Albus asked.

“I never stayed anywhere long enough…” Scorpius sighed, and his look seemed haunted.

Albus' chest tightened at how sad Scorpius looked. “Ok, I’ll make some spaghetti, in the meantime you can settle in,” he tried to diffuse the tension in the room and distract himself from his own nagging thoughts. “You can use the bathroom, choose any shelf you like. Same for the drawer here. Just take my stuff out, I’ll put them in their place later.” 

Scorpius nodded, unpacked some toiletries from his bag, and disappeared into the bathroom. Albus turned to the kitchen and started making  _ Spaghetti aglio olio, _ because he hadn’t been shopping in quite some time and all he could find were very basic ingredients.

By the time Albus served dinner, Scorpius already was sitting at the kitchen table, in clean clothes and all freshened up. Without any hesitation, he took his plate and twirled a generous amount of spaghetti on a fork and shoveled it in his mouth. As he chewed eagerly, he sucked the rest of the dangling spaghetti inside with delighted slurps. For Albus, it was a sight.

“You should slow down before you choke,” he teased Scorpius, who wiped his mouth, ashamed, and set the cutlery aside.

“Oh, please, do not stop on my account,” Albus encouraged him, “I’m glad you like it.”

“It’s delicious,” Scorpius licked his lips. “And I don’t say that just because this is my first real meal in a few weeks, your cooking skills have really improved!”

“You are such a terrible liar,” Albus burst out laughing. “When we’re done, we should look at the sleeping arrangement, ok?” he asked Scorpius, who agreed by nodding because his mouth was full once again.

After Albus spell-cleaned the dishes, he joined Scorpius in the living room, where he was inspecting the couch.

“Any idea what to do with it?” Scorpius asked Albus.

Albus wrinkled his nose and grumbled, “I hope some basic Transforming Spell will do it because my wand work is shit as always and this couch is fucking huge!”

“You are right, that is not a small object to transform,” Scorpius said. “But I have an idea what to do about it, do you trust me?” he raised his eyebrows in question at Albus.

Albus hesitated. “Yeah… What’s on your mind?”

“I have a theory regarding soulmates’ magic, which I would like to test out,” Scorpius said and waited for Albus to say yes. “Ok, lose the wand and take my hands,” he requested and reached out for Albus.

Albus was horrified. “You want me to transform the coach wandlessly?!”

“Yup, but don’t worry, I should be able to channel your magic as if you’re using a wand…”

“Should? Really, Scorp? Not reassuring at all!” Albus protested. 

Scorpius stepped closer and took Albus’ hands in his own, locking eyes with him. “Have a little faith in us, ok?” he said.

Albus shook his head but the fact that Scorpius was holding his hands kept him in place. “This is a really bad idea, in the best-case scenario the couch will end up in flames,” he murmured under his breath.

Scorpius smiled. “Ready?” he asked.

“Wait a minute,” Albus wavered, “shouldn’t we talk first about what parts and how we want to change it? To get the same picture in our minds before we start actually transforming the couch?”

“No need for that, I already have a clear vision,” Scorpius reassured him. “Just focus on the magic. The aim is to activate your magic but don’t progress any further, I’ll do the spell, ok?”

Albus looked puzzled. He opened his mouth to attempt another question, but Scorpius silenced him.

“Just close your eyes and feel it, Al, for Merlin’s sake,” Scorpius snapped.

Albus shifted his weight awkwardly but complied. He reached out – somewhere deep inside him, where his magic lay. He felt the vibration of his magic. He pulled the feeling closer to the surface of his body, and tried to contain it. This was the tricky part; to not spill out the magic, he focused on the grip of Scorpius' hands. At that moment a discharge of magic sparked on the tips of his fingers, he flinched, but Scorpius tightened his grip. A stringent tension released and was replaced by steady throbs, which spread from his fingers to his head. He smelled citrus, a scent of Scorpius’ magic which Albus even after all those years associated with home, safety, and… intimacy. A rush of excitement flooded his senses, the throbbing sensation descended down and brought about unwanted tension in Albus’ pants. That was the last thing he needed – to be aroused by doing a spell with Scorpius!

He peeked and saw Scorpius casting the spell. 

The word “ _ Transcubile _ ” in Scorpius’ voice floated above their heads and the couch started changing its shape. Albus opened his eyes wide. The mattress became larger and thicker, one of the cushions turned into a pillow, another one into a blanket. 

“We did it!” Scorpius let go of Albus’ hands and jumped on the couch, which looked more like a bed now. “Come here”, he encouraged Albus with a gesture. Albus reluctantly climbed up and tried to stand upright while Scorpius bounced up and down around him to test the stability and softness of the mattress.

Albus was more confused than before. He felt the connection – soulmate’s magic was pulsing in his veins. All of his senses were overloaded by Scorpius' presence. He had been so naïve when he thought that living with his soulmate would only require a Warming Charm now and then, brewing of Soulmate Withdrawal Potion, and maybe reestablishing their friendship. He definitely didn’t expect to connect with Scorpius at such a deep level. Sharing magic was like having sex. No, actually sharing magic was more intimate than that – you can have sex with (almost) anybody, but you can’t share their magic. Ever. At least that's what Albus had thought until today. And it scared him. 

Scorpius landed on his back on the couch and pulled Albus down. Albus, deep in his thoughts, didn’t react fast enough and fell on top of him. 

Scorpius was giggling. “Are you still here?” he breathed out in Albus' face, and Albus noticed how blotchy and breathless Scorpius was from all that jumping.

“Yeah, sorry, I just wondered what it all means…” Albus replied and clumsily scrambled off Scorpius.

“Me too,” Scorpius admitted and sat next to Albus with arms wrapped around his knees.

Albus glanced at him. “I thought you had some theory…”

“Oh, yes,” Scorpius nodded enthusiastically, “I supposed that there must be more to the Soulmate Curse than just to breed the next generation of wizards, and I was right. We proved that the magic between soulmates can be merged and we can use the power of its synergy…”

“Ok, I was there, I felt it,” Albus cut in, “but I don’t understand what that implies?”

“That’s the part I haven’t figured out yet,” Scorpius shrugged, “but the more we know about the Soulmate Curse – how its magic works, the bigger chances are that we’ll be able to break it.”

“Right,” Albus pursed his lips. “To break it…” Why was he so flustered by the connection between him and Scorpius? Clearly, it was just an experiment to Scorpius. He needed to test the properties of the curse, not get Albus caught up in misleading feelings. And he shouldn’t be bummed about that, Scorpius nearly died because of the curse, it was only logical that finding a cure or breaking the spell was still his number one priority.

“You must be tired, you should get some rest,” Albus said out of the blue in a desperate attempt to avoid any further conversation and physical contact with Scorpius.

“Ok?” Scorpius replied, more as a question than in agreement, but Albus was already leaving the room. “Hey,” Scorpius called after him and waited for Albus to turn around. “I’m glad that you found me in St Mungo’s.” He gave Albus one of his characteristic looks – daring and fearless, which made Albus’ knees wobbly.

Albus' voice stuck in his throat. “Ehm… That’s good.” He tore his gaze from Scorpius' sparkling eyes. “Don’t forget to take your potion before sleep,” he reminded him and abruptly closed the door behind him.

He didn’t even bother with brushing his teeth, he just slipped into an oversized, decade-old t-shirt and collapsed in bed. His heart was pounding in his chest. He closed his eyes, but all he could see was Scorpius’ grey gaze burning into his soul. He was overwhelmed with Scorpius’ touch, the glare of his piercing eyes, and the smell of his magic. He felt fifteen again – confused and thirsty. He needed to feel the soulmate connection again. 

_ It was always like that for Albus – the need to connect with Scorpius at every possible level. When he and Scorpius started dating, their mutual exploration didn’t progress further than kissing and touching over clothes for quite some time. Not because they didn’t want to, but finding some private spot in Hogwarts for more than making out was nearly impossible. But one spring Sunday changed everything. It was the first Hogsmeade weekend after Christmas break and their roommates (and half of the castle) had gotten stuck in the village because of a huge snowstorm. He and Scorpius were never big fans of Hogsmeade anyway, so they spent all Sunday lying in bed, kissing, doing homework, and more kissing. Albus was so occupied by licking inside Scorpius' mouth that he didn’t notice when the room went dark all of a sudden. But Scorpius peeled himself from him and looked out the window. The lake was black as night and the wind lifted massive waves, which went up and down so that they could see them in periods above the water surface. But the rest of the world was gone, the white void of snowstorm swallowing it all. Scorpius got up and walk one step closer to the ominous spectacle when the wind  _

_ crushed the wave with a powerful roar into the window and Scorpius jumped back.  _

_ “Come here,” Albus pulled him back to the bed. “I know exactly how to distract you,” he whispered in the ear of the slightly terrified Scorpius and licked its shell.  _

_ Scorpius quivered and squeaked in surprise. Albus, encouraged by the response, teased his ear lobe with teeth. A shuddered exhale escaped from Scorpius' mouth and went right to Albus’ pants. He focused his attention under the ear, sucking and scraping the sensitive skin there until Scorpius was moaning softly.  _

_ Suddenly Albus felt Scorpius’ hand on his crotch. He tried to buck because he was kind of afraid that Scorpius might freak out when he found out how hard Albus was just from kissing his neck. But Scorpius' reaction was quite the opposite. He pulled Albus’ pants and briefs down and wrapped his fingers around Albus’ hard-on.  _

_ Now it was Albus who gasped from the touch. He mirrored Scorpius and freed him from his bottom clothes. The heaviness of Scorpius' erection in his own hand made him more thrilled than anything before. He rocked into Scorpius' palm with an enthusiastic moan. Scorpius took the initiative and slid his hand up and down. Albus readjusted his own hand movement in the same rhythm. Excitement flooded his mind. They were too far gone for kissing, the frenetic pumping of Scorpius’ hand sending shivers through Albus' body. His vision went blank. All he could feel was Scorpius’ touch – electrifying and devouring. His consciousness was floating somewhere above his body. He took it all in: the smell of Scorpius’ magic, his voice screaming Albus' name and the sensation of his own orgasm. A wave of emotions rushed over him. He felt for the first time so close to someone, so connected, and he didn’t want to let it go ever again. _

Channeling soulmate magic felt the same. He wasn’t sure if it was because Scorpius was his soulmate or if it was just the general nature of the Soulmate Curse, but he knew that he couldn’t give in to his emotions and mess up Scorpius’ life. What he felt when their magic merged, it didn’t matter. It must not.


	6. Fresh Pastry from a Bakery

The next day Albus woke up shivering with cold. He put on a jumper over his sleeping shirt and walked to the empty living room. Panic hit him hard. Scorpius was nowhere to be found, not in the bathroom or kitchen. Scorpius for sure hadn’t enough magical power to apparate yet, but could he use the Floo Network? Maybe he’d flooed to Malfoy Manor, Albus wondered.

Before Albus could take any action, the front door was flung open and Scorpius stepped inside with a bright smile on his face.

“Hi, you’re up!” he greeted Albus as if nothing happened. And it really hadn’t, Albus had to admit to himself, it was only his stupid anxious brain making him stress over nothing.

“Yeah, good morning, where did you go?” Albus asked Scorpius and turned to the kitchen to make some coffee.

“I wanted to get some fresh pastry but,  _ apparently _ , I’m not allowed to the campus without a registration badge.” Scorpius sounded less annoyed than amused and Albus wondered why.

“Oh, sorry, Scorp, I forgot to tell you, but I’ll get a visitor’s badge for you today,” Albus apologized.

“That would be nice, but don’t worry, I met your ex and he was so kind as to get croissants from the bakery for us,” Scorpius replied slyly.

“Uh, what?” Albus was taken back. “Who are you talking about?”

“Your ex-boyfriend? He didn’t give me his name but dark hair, stubble, and piercing eyes?” Scorpius seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much.

“Ehm, that must be Leo, but we haven’t dated,” Albus protested.

“So, you didn’t sleep with this Leo-guy and run away from his apartment before he could wash your cum from his stomach?”

Albus shot Scorpius a shocked look. “What? He said that to you?”

“In some less explicit words… Yes,” Scorpius nodded.

“Oh, Merlin’ s beard,” Albus groaned, “that git!”

Scorpius didn’t try to hide his amusement anymore. “So, you know him after all,” he laughed. “He looked genuinely concerned when I told him I was staying with local Potion Master Potter and he warned me about your manners.”

Albus' face went bright red. “Ok, maybe something like that might have happened… But it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t stand his Cleaning Charm, it reeked like an old floor-rag!” Albus exclaimed.

“Ok, ok, Romeo,” Scorpius chuckled, “come sit down and eat breakfast.” 

Scorpius unpacked croissants, marmalade, and butter from the fridge. It was nice, familiar. It reminded Albus of times when they’d spend most of the weekdays’ mornings like this – Albus preparing coffee and Scorpius bringing fresh pastry from a bakery. The memory made Albus’ stomach clench.

“Actually, it’s quite late, I should head to work,” he blurted out to a very disappointed Scorpius. But he needed to escape the emotions that were coming up from the long-forgotten depth of his soul. He realized that the curse was definitely affecting him more than he first anticipated.

He placed a cup of coffee in front of Scorpius and finished his in a few gulps as he went to the bedroom to change. 

“Do you need anything? Can I get something for you?” Albus asked on his way out. 

Scorpius was still sitting at the table, hunched over an untouched croissant with a thick layer of butter and marmalade on top. He smiled politely in response and shook his head.

“You can take mine,” Albus gestured to the second croissant which he’d left on the table, “I’ll get something later at work and be back in time for an early dinner.” he winked at Scorpius, who gave him an offended look.

“Have I done something wrong?” Albus stepped back into the kitchen and leaned over the table.

Scorpius let out a small huff but his expression softened. He glanced at the plate in front of him and cleared his throat. “Ehm… I… I think,” he tried to squeeze the words out but felt too embarrassed. “I won’t be able to eat any of that if you leave,” he mumbled quickly.

Albus’ face elongated with the realization. Of course, Scorpius wanted to have breakfast together, soulmate magic suppresses the syndrome, that’s why Scorpius doesn’t suffer from loss of appetite when Albus is around! Albus had been so preoccupied with the memories and emotions the curse had brought back into his petty little life that he almost forgot Scorpius was going through his own battles.

“You know what,” he said, “I think I can’t miss out on this freshly baked delight. Would you pass me the Nutella from the cupboard behind you?” he asked Scorpius and sat at the table.

Scorpius beamed with relief and reached for the jar of hazelnut spread.

“So, any plans for today?” Albus wondered aloud as he piled a thick layer of Nutella on his croissant.

“I would like to write down notes from yesterday's experiment and analyze them to see if I’m able to find some pattern or similarity with other curses.”

“Oh, in that case, a library pass would come in handy, wouldn’t it?” it occurred to Albus.

“Yes, it definitely would,” Scorpius nodded eagerly.

“Great, I’ll get one for you together with the visitor’s badge. You are gonna love our library, there is a whole floor with every single book focused on potions issued over the past 500 years!”

“You know how to get a guy excited!” Scorpius joked.

Albus chuckled. “No, Scorp, I think it’s only a you-thing.”

“That’s even better, isn’t it?” Scorpius smirked.

Albus snorted. He quickly finished breakfast, and hurried to work. He knew he wouldn’t be late, but he was planning to get in early to deal with the wolfsbane fiasco and (hopefully) to wrap it up sooner for an early dinner. Playing house with Scorpius wouldn’t be so bad after all, he thought; it was nice to have someone he could return to from work. If he kept his emotions under control, they could actually enjoy living together.

He was still deep in his thoughts when he entered the Potion Department. Winnie jumped around his neck, pulling him into a spine-crushing hug.

“You came back!” she jumped off his neck, her eyes gleaming with tears.

Albus carefully peeled her off him. “It was that bad?” he asked, slightly amused. The lab looked alright, no burned walls or shattered glass on the floor. He noticed his deputy, Derek, was controlling the big mortars to grind wolfsbane flowers.

“It was hell,” Winnie groaned. “Please, don’t leave me ever again!”

“Why not?” Albus teased her. “I can see you’ve managed well. You arranged the delivery of wolfsbane and kept my lab in one piece. I couldn’t ask for more!”

“I can assure you I haven’t enjoyed any of it!” she fired back, “and Derek was eager to take the lab over.”

“I can imagine, that ambitious prick,” Albus muttered under his breath.

“But most importantly, I was scared of what happened to you,” Winnie admitted and stepped closer to Albus to comfort him.

He froze. He hadn’t thought about how he would need to explain Scorpius' sudden appearance in his life. Fucking hell. It was like coming out all over again!

Should he tell her the truth? Or brush it off with some vague story of helping out a friend? Winnie deserved to know, she had always supported him and she was the closest thing to a friend (not just a colleague buddy) that Albus had. But to talk about Scorpius' condition? It wasn’t his to tell.

“I was visiting my childhood friend, who is researching Soulmate Curse…” Albus opted for half-way-there-truth, “and I offered to help him with the research. So, he moved in with me, to be more flexible and closer to the library.”

“Oh, that is a very fascinating area of work, could I help you in any way?” Winnie expressed her interest.

“Yeah, sure, I’m positive that Scorpius would welcome your help, I’ll have to introduce you to him.”

“Great! That sounds so interesting! Researching is my passion, you don’t really need any magic to do that, so…” she trailed off and Albus hummed in understanding. “So, what are my assignments for today, boss?” she asked cheekily.

“Actually, if you don’t mind, could you please pick-up a visitor’s badge and library card for Scorpius? Here are the forms,” Albus handed Winnie two rolls of parchments. she saluted him with a wink and left the lab.

Albus entered the second part of the lab – behind the big glass wall, where various potions were bubbling and squeaking in big cauldrons. He called Derek and together they started the inspection round, adjusting temperature, mixing the liquids, or adding more of this and that. Derek followed Albus and turned notes into Control Forms.

They progressed slowly but steadily, not even noticing time passing by until Winnie interrupted them, “It’s almost two o’clock, don't you want to take a break and get lunch together?”

Derek looked relieved that he had been saved and swiftly slipped out from the lab and headed to the buffet. 

“Are you coming?” Winnie urged Albus.

Albus looked up through deep blue smoke, which had just puffed out of the inspected cauldron. He wasn’t sure if it was from the smoke, but he felt really unwell. He wasn’t hungry at all, which was odd considering that he had had just one croissant for breakfast. His stomach ached and he felt nauseous.

“I’m good, I’m not really hungry yet and I’ll be leaving early…” Albus shook his head, “but thanks for asking.” He smiled politely and Winnie ran away to catch a last-minute lunch.

The next time he saw her was late afternoon, when she stopped in to say goodbye.

“You’re leaving already?” Albus wondered.

“Yes, Al, it’s almost six and we are the last ones here if you haven’t noticed,” she retorted.

“Merlin’s shit, I lost track of time,” Albus said, horrified. “I really need to go. Would you please lock the lab behind me? I’m sorry, but I must go,” he asked Winnie and packed his things in a hurry.

Winnie let out a breath. “You are really a piece of work, you know it?”

“I’m so sorry Winnie, I promise tomorrow you can come later, ok?” he tried to make up for it.

“Ok,” she agreed grumpily. “At least take the lunch, which I brought, with you.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Albus exclaimed, kissing her on the cheek, and sprinted out of the lab.

He’d promised Scorpius to be home early. He’d taken him out of St Mungo’s, where he was safe with all the healthcare he needed, and it was his responsibility, as Scorpius’ soulmate, to take care of him. In which he’d failed miserably.

He ran across the facility grounds to their home as fast as he could.


	7. A Flash of Magic

Albus barged in through the door. Panting heavily, he tossed the box with his lunch aside and darted into the living room.

“Scorp, I’m so sorry, that I’m late,” he tried to apologize through the rapid breathing.

But the apartment remained silent.

Albus felt a rise of panic and his heart clutched. He briskly scanned the living room with his eyes, looking for Scorpius, then he peeked in his bedroom and in the bathroom. But Scorpius was nowhere to be found.

He entered the kitchen, which seemed also deserted at first sight, but then, to Albus' utter horror, he registered a pale hand lying under the kitchen table.

He jumped to Scorpius’ helpless body and checked for vitals. His pulse was weak but detectable and his hand was freezing cold, although his forehead was covered in sweat.

He quickly cast a Warming Charm on Scorpius, and he trembled when the soulmate connection kicked him back with a warm feeling spreading through his body.

Scorpius’ eyelids fluttered.

“Scorp, can you hear me? I’ll get you to the bed,” Albus leaned down and picked Scorpius up bridal-style. It was terrifying how effortless it was to carry Scorpius into the living room – he was still just bones and skin. Scorpius wrapped his arms around Albus’ neck and rested his head on his shoulder. Albus laid him down on the bed and tenderly pulled a blanket over him.

Then he stepped aside to afford Scorpius some rest, but Scorpius snatched his hand and pulled him back to him.

“Should I stay? It would help, wouldn’t it?” he asked Scorpius, who slowly blinked in response.

Albus sat down at the very edge of the bed, leaving his hand resting in Scorpius’ hand. Then he shifted closer to him and placed both of their hands atop Scorpius’ chest. He could feel his heart steadily pumping beneath, and also Scorpius' magic tingling his palm and fingers. It was strange. He knew he shouldn’t enjoy this moment, but it felt so right to sit by Scorpius’ side and hold his hand!

Scorpius shuffled and opened his eyes. “Are you using a nonverbal AND wandless Warming Charm on me?” he asked curiously.

“What? No?!” Albus twitched at the sound of Scorpius' voice.

Scorpius smiled softly and huddled around Albus’ arm. “Whatever you’re doing, please, don’t stop,” he whispered and closed his eyes again.

But Albus wasn’t doing anything, right? He was definitely not powerful and coordinated enough to pull off a nonverbal spell without a wand. Except when he had transformed the couch with Scorpius…

He paused in his thoughts for a moment. 

Albus noticed his magic vibrating through his body, pouring out to Scorpius and tingling back to him through his fingertips. It was almost like their magic had merged again, but he hadn’t done any spell. He’d just sat there, held Scorpius’ hand, and thought about how to make Scorpius better. He cared so much about him, but he’d let him down. Albus needed to make things right again and do whatever it took so Scorpius could enjoy his own life.

Suddenly – a flash of magic flicked out of his heart and reached Scorpius. So this is what Scorpius had meant! Albus just hadn't been paying attention.

“Scorp,” he spoke in a high-pitched voice, “I think that our magic merged again…”

Scorpius raised his head and looked between them. “Ok, so it seems that a spell isn’t necessary to connect magic between two soulmates… I must have miscalculated that,” he hummed. “Maybe it’s caused by the intimacy? What do you think?” he asked and looked directly into Albus’ eyes.

“But… but we are literally just holding hands!” Albus raised his voice, panicking.

“Yeah, but touch alone can’t evoke intimacy, it’s more about feelings, right?” 

Albus swallowed emptily.

“I need to make notes about this!” Scorpius exclaimed and leaned over the armrest to salvage his notebook from the pile beside the couch-bed.

“Right, do that, I will bring some dinner if you want,” Albus mumbled and trailed off to the kitchen.

“Yes, please!” Scorpius exclaimed, full of life like he hadn’t suffered a soulmate separation seizure less than an hour ago.

Truth be told, Albus was definitely hungry too.

He unpacked the lunch that Winnie had brought him at work. The package contained a big BLT sandwich, salad, and a pack of chips. He divided the meal in half onto plates and levitated them to the coffee table in the living room.

“I promise, tomorrow I’ll do the grocery shopping and actually cook something for us, ok?” Albus sat down next to Scorpius and handed him one of the plates.

“Oh, don’t worry,” he replied with his mouth already full of bacon and lettuce. 

When Albus had swallowed some of his half of the sandwich, he turned to Scorpius. “We should make some plans to prevent this kind of situation in the future, don’t you think?”

“We can take turns with groceries and cooking, I have plenty of free time, you know,” he replied.

“No, Scorp,” Albus snorted, “I meant the seizure! What can we do to eliminate the seizures. I could stop by during lunch break and we can have lunch together, also increasing the dosage of Soulmate Withdrawal Potion could help…”

Scorpius chewed for a while before he hesitantly replied, “I don’t know. I don’t want your work to suffer, you have an important job and I can see it must be difficult to leave in the middle of the day. Also, I don’t want to take more of the potion, because it makes me too sleepy to work… But I have another idea. Your magic helps to calm down the Soulmate Syndrome. So how about if you used your magic during brewing the potion for me?”

“Ok, it could work, but what exactly do you mean?” Albus raised one brow in question.

“You could use  _ Incendio  _ to set up the fire under the cauldron, couldn’t you?” 

“Yes, definitely,” Albus agreed. “Usually a trainee prepares cauldrons for brewing potions but I can cast the Fire-Making Charm by myself, that would be no problem,” he assured Scorpius. “I’ll start to brew your potion like this tomorrow, so we have to make one more day without it. I guess the middle-day break then still holds, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe I could stop by you? I planned to do research in the library, so we can take a break together.”

“That’s a great idea!” Albus smiled brightly. “My assistant – Winnie, secured a visitor’s badge and a library card for you, I left them on the hallway table. We’ll pick you up in the library around one o’clock and we can have lunch together in the cafeteria. She will be thrilled to meet you!”

Scorpius' face went into mock horror. “What have you told that poor girl about me?!”

“Relax,” Albus grinned. “Just about your research, she wants to help. But we should tell her about our…ehm… situation, if it would be ok with you,” he hesitated.

“Sure, Al, it’s your friend, you don’t have to keep any secret on my behalf, you know?” Scorpius looked sympathetically at Albus, who suddenly didn’t know what to do with his own hands.

He rubbed his nape awkwardly. “Yeah, sure… Anyway, on Sunday we have our traditional Potter’s dinner at my parents if you want to come…”

“Really, you still do that thing?” Scorpius marveled. “That’s so cute! But now that I think about it, I should probably talk to my dad… Can I invite him to your place? I’m not sure if I could handle the Floo or Apparition…”

“Yes, please, it’s our place now, isn’t it?” Albus proclaimed and Scorpius beamed.

The next day, Albus went to work super early. To perform a Fire-Making Charm under cauldrons was an easy task, probably too easy to be done by Albus, as a Head of Potioneering. Derek would pry why Albus hadn’t let Bertie, this year’s internship applicant do it and then he would suspect that Bertie had to have made a mistake doing such a trivial charm that he wouldn’t let the poor guy anywhere near a potioneering job for the rest of his internship. Which Albus couldn’t risk, because Bertie was, in fact, one of the most talented trainees he had ever supervised. That is why Albus snuck into the lab without being noticed – the two early-bird Potions Masters were too busy arguing about the ethical impact of using dragon and unicorn derivatives in potions, and he set a fire under all of the cauldrons which were prepared for Soulmate Withdrawal Potion. Then he went back to his office and added Scorpius’ name to the list of patients from St Mungo’s.

If they started brewing the potions right away, he would be able to give a fresh batch to Scorpius during their mid-day rendezvous he thought, and shook his head over his own silliness. Like dining in the cafeteria with another coworker could be considered a date! Yet he was looking forward to today's lunch.

Winnie almost went into shock when Albus approached her at the stroke of one o’clock.

“You’re dragging me out of the lab to have lunch?! Who are you and what have you done with Albus?” she mocked him.

“Oh, shut up, like I could work any longer near your growling stomach,” he snarled and opened the door for her, she came out of the office and turned right.

“Sorry, one little detour,” Albus said and led her to the library.

Scorpius was in full geek mode, Albus could tell. He was walking through the aisle with a tower of books levitating in front of him. When he saw Albus walking towards him, his face brightened up and as he frantically waved to Albus, the tower of books wobbled from one side to the other, like an ear of corn in the wind. Albus promptly pulled out his wand and supported the books with his own spell. When their spells collided, the books hopped into the air and fell back one on top of the other and built a perfectly neat column.

“Wow, thanks,” Scorpius put the stack of books on the table, “but we should be more careful about overdoing the spells.” He giggled when he found out that the books had formed a pile so perfect that he was not able to disassemble it.

“We can hope it will wear off,” Albus frowned. “Meanwhile let’s go eat!”

On the way to the cafeteria, Scorpius and Winnie bonded over Dewey’s library filing system, which had been introduced to witching society by none less than Hermione Granger to make wizarding libraries accessible. 

It seemed so easy for Scorpius to make new friends. He had just met Winnie and they were already submerged in private conversation, in which they didn’t need Albus to play middleman. But Albus didn’t mind. He enjoyed looking at Scorpius, who talked animatedly – he tossed his hands into the air, and his platinum crown of hair bounced around his head.

After lunch, Albus discretely handed Scorpius a parcel with fresh Soulmate Withdrawal Potion brewed over Albus’ Fire-Making Charm.

“I hope it will help, but either way, I will be home in a couple hours,” Albus whispered to Scorpius when they were saying goodbye.

Scorpius briefly hugged a surprised Albus. “I'm very grateful for what you do for me,” he thanked Albus and headed back to the library while Winnie and Albus walked away in the other direction.

“What was that about?” Winnie asked when they were out of earshot.

“What?” Albus retorted back, confused. “I just picked up some potion for Scorpius, which he was prescribed…” he tried to mask his embarrassment.

“No, you dummy, I didn’t mean the Soulmate Withdrawal Potion,” she sneered.

“You know?” Albus stopped in the middle of his step.

“Of course! I remember Scorpius’ name from St Mungo’s Potion Order Form. You really freaked out when I said his name back then. Plus, why else would he research the Soulmate Curse?” she laid a rhetorical question. “What I was referring to was all that,” she zig-zagged her hand in the air in front of Albus’ face, “the staring, the hug, and the shaky smile,” she specified. “Are you two dating or what?”

“No, Winnie, why do you always assume that I’m dating someone?” Albus snapped but quickly returned to his usual reserved manners. “But you’re right, there is more to it… Scorpius is… Scorpius and I… We are soulmates,” he finally breathed out.

Winnie’s face went from shock to curiosity and settled on a very determined look. “See! Even the universe thinks you two belong together! So, what’s the issue?”

Albus sighed and continued walking to his office. “We’ve already dated,” he admitted gloomily, “A long time ago. But it ended with a broken heart and I spent the last ten years trying to forget and move on… I’m afraid that I’m not strong enough to risk it all again. Besides, things are more complicated now because of the curse. I can’t be sure what I’m really feeling towards him anymore…”

“You told me yourself that the Soulmate Curse can’t make you fall in love with someone,” Winnie reminded him fearlessly.

Albus looked her in the eyes and remarked, “You are unusually annoying when you’re right.”


	8. A Visit of an Unspeakable

“Scorp, are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Albus asked on Saturday afternoon as he was getting ready for dinner at his mum and dad’s house.

“No, I’ll be ok, the new potion recipe is working just fine. Besides, I think my dad will be more comfortable talking about my mum and her curse if no one else is here,” Scorpius reassured him.

“I know, but for some reason I have a feeling that I should be there for you...”

Scorpius chuckled. “It’s because telling people that we’re soulmates is like coming out all over again. I wonder how many times I’ll have to do it…”

“Oh my… You are totally right! I thought the same! I was so naïve back then – to think I’d come out to my family, and you, of course, and be done. But no. You have to come out countless times and it never seems to stop...”

“Yeah, it’s unfair that straight people don’t have to do it. But look at the bright side, now we can benefit from our experience.”

Albus rolled his eyes, he would prefer not to do this at all.

_ His coming out was a rather quiet flow of confirmation. The only person he had to say he was gay to was in fact Scorpius himself. It was a turning point in their relationship because for the first time, Scorpius could admit to himself that crushing on his best friend may not necessarily end in disgust. After two weeks of assessing his new prospects, he invited Albus over on Christmas Eve. It was a smooth sail from that point, except that Scorpius kept the true nature of their relationship secret from his father till the summer break.  _

_ It was the first week of summer when Albus headed to Malfoy Manor for dinner, over which Scorpius wanted to introduce him as his boyfriend. Draco looked perplexed when Albus showed up on their doorstep that evening. _

_ “Oh, Albus, if I had known you would be coming by, I would have prepared your favorite spaghetti carbonara,” he welcomed him in the hallway, “but Scorpius invited over his new girlfriend, so we will be having chicken if it’s ok with you.” _

_ Scorpius emerged from behind Draco. “Ehm, dad, I never said I would like to introduce my GIRLfriend…” _

_ Draco pressed his lips together and furrowed his brow. _

_ “You mean… You two…” he pointed back and forth from his son to Albus, “you’re together!” _

_ “Yes, dad, Albus and I are dating,” Scorpius beamed and reached out for Albus’ hand. _

_ “Now I’m really pissed that we will be serving that bloody chicken, which neither of us really like,” he sneered, and Albus could tell how all the tension just dropped from Scorpius. He would never have expected that Mr. Malfoy would be so casual about it, but there he was, joking about a bad choice of a dish. _

“If you need, just floo-call my parents, ok?” Albus snapped out of his reminiscence as he put a hoodie on.

“Don’t worry,” Scorpius smiled and kissed Albus on his cheek before he apparated to the Potters’ house.

That was new. Albus almost gave himself a splinch from the sensation of Scorpius’ hot velvety lips on his face. He landed far away from the Godric's Hollow Apparition Point and ended up in an old cemetery behind the church. He swore but frankly, he was lucky that no muggle had seen him. He didn’t want to risk another attempt at Apparition, so he had to walk all the way to his parents’ house.

This week was almost a full house – Lily was setting the table in the dining room with mum, and dad was demonstrating a new in-a-box-Cushion Charm for brooms to James, which would be on sale in his and uncle Ron’s broom shop the next month. Only Teddy was missing because he was on hold for some super-secret abroad research for the Department of Mysteries.

The dinner was fairly pleasant, and Albus would have enjoyed it if he hadn’t been concerned about how Scorpius was doing. He was on edge, unable to really join the conversation, so he said his goodbyes right after dessert and headed to the Apparition Point.

“Hey, wait,” James called after him and caught up to him in the front garden. “Can we talk privately for a minute?” he asked, and led Albus into the shadow of an old chestnut.

Albus made a slightly annoyed face, but held himself still and waited for whatever was on James’ mind.

“Teddy told me that Scorpius is back in Britain and is staying with you, is it true?” James asked.

Albus hummed grumpily as a sign of confirmation.

“Al, what were you thinking?!” James cried out. “This is such a bad idea! I get it that you wanted to help out, but if Scorpius doesn’t have a place to crash, he can stay with me and Teddy.”

“No, it’s not really about that…” Albus replied vaguely and stared at the tips of his shoes.

“Look, I’m really worried about you. Or have you already forgotten how badly it ended up last time?”

“Unfortunately, despite all my efforts, no,” Albus retorted.

“So, what are you doing, hurting yourself like that again?! I know you two are close to each other even after everything that happened. But living with him?! It’s not healthy for either of you!”

“Actually, you’ve got this wrong,” Albus pushed back, “now it's a completely different situation!”

“How?” James glared at him.

“You know what, it would be better if you and Teddy came to dinner and saw it for yourself. I bet Teddy will want to see Scorpius as soon as possible anyway…”

James seemed taken aback by the sudden change of Albus' attitude. “Oh, ok,” he stuttered, “how about this Tuesday? Teddy should be back home by that time.”

“Deal.” Albus shook James’ hand and left.

When he got home, Scorpius was sitting at the kitchen table and nibbling the cuticles on his fingers. Two mugs of cold tea stood in front of him.

“Hi, your dad already left?” Albus asked.

Scorpius tore his gaze from his fingertips to Albus, but his eyes were uncharacteristically dull and lifeless.

“What happened, Scorp?” Albus sat down and moved his chair closer to Scorpius.

“You know how my dad gets when I bring up my mum… He’s either silent or he runs away,” Scorpius snuffled softly and Albus couldn’t help but wrap his arms around Scorpius’ shoulders.

“He ran?”

“Eventually,” Scorpius sighed and rested his head on Albus’ shoulder, “but I can tell how much he tried to stay strong for me. I think he needs some time to adjust.”

“He’s worried he'll lose you too…”

“I know, that’s exactly why I didn’t want to tell him all these years. But now it’s different, isn’t it?” Scorpius asked with a voice full of hope.

“Sure, it is, Scorp, now you have me and we have each other. Nothing bad can happen,” Albus soothed him, whispering the words into his hair.

“Yeah,” Scorpius leaned back and Albus released him from the embrace, “and I told him that too! He asked me to tell you he's very grateful for everything you’ve done for me and if you need anything at all, just send an owl. And then he nagged me for not wanting any of his money…”

“It sounds like he will be fine,” Albus smirked. “By the way, Teddy and James are coming to dinner on Tuesday. Sorry I didn’t ask you first, but James really started bugging me about us, living together…”

“Why?” Scorpius interrupted. “He hates me for cheating on you, doesn’t he?”

“No, not really… It wasn’t exactly your fault, was it? He’s just… a little bit overprotective. I guess. But I promise, he’ll get along, once we will tell him,” Albus assured him.

“You haven’t told them yet…”

“No, I wanted to do it together,” Albus admitted.

“Ok,” Scorpius agreed. “I wanted to see Teddy anyway. It’ll be fun, like a double date,” Scorpius joked, and Albus' voice suddenly got stuck in his throat.

On Tuesday evening they both stood in the middle of the living room, hypnotizing by the entrance door.

“To be completely honest with you, I’m quite scared of your brother,” Scorpius sighed.

Albus took his hand and concentrated hard on a fuzzy feeling deep inside his guts. The hum of their shared magic enveloped them into a calming embrace.

“You’re getting better at this thing every day,” Scorpius praised him, right before there was a knock at the door.

They jumped apart and with a flick of his wand Albus opened the door for their guests.

He greeted his brother James and his husband Teddy, who was by coincidence Scorpius’ second cousin and also a godson of Albus’ and James’ dad.

_ One big happy family. _

Albus took their jackets and hung them behind the door while James and Teddy moved into the living room to unpack a bottle of wine and a cheese plate which they had brought.

“Hi,” Scorpius waved at them.

Even from behind Albus could see how James’ shoulders tensed and Teddy stopped abruptly in his movement. It had been ten years since they saw Scorpius for the last time, and although he looked much healthier than a week ago in the hospital, he was still sickly thin and pale.

Albus entered the living room and tried to diffuse the tension by taking the bottle of wine from Teddy’s hand.

“Hello, it’s good to see you,” Scorpius tried again and reached his arm towards Teddy.

Teddy finally composed himself and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

“For Merlin’s sake, this is long overdue,” Teddy mumbled, on the verge of tears, and when he unwrapped himself from Scorpius, it was evident that Scorpius was also moved by the reunion.

After Scorpius and James shook hands, Albus guided the whole party to the kitchen, where he poured everybody a glass of wine and got them seated.

Teddy sipped from his glass and glanced up. “Ehm, sorry, I don’t want to be rude or anything, but I have to address…”

“You don’t look good, mate,” James cut in with a look directed at Scorpius.

Scorpius swallowed and nervously played with his glass. “Yeah, there is a reason for… hmm,” he stumbled on his own words. “It’s because of... of a Soulmate Curse,” he finally finished his sentence and raised his eyes shyly to James and Teddy.

They both looked startled.

“What do you mean? When…” Teddy stuttered in shock.

“I think the first symptoms began to show after my seventeenth birthday, but I was about twenty when I was diagnosed with Soulmate Syndrome,” Scorpius explained.

“It's been ten years,” Teddy noted. “I assume that you must know your soulmate then… From what I know about this curse, without a soulmate the symptoms progress quite fast, don’t they?”

“It’s a little bit more complicated…” Scorpius trailed off. “After I found out about my curse, which runs in my family from both sides, I assume, I was determined to dedicate the rest of my life to research. I tried to find a cure or a way to slow or ease the symptoms. Some of it must have worked because it took almost ten years before the syndrome caught up to me…”

Albus took a deep breath. “It’s me, I’m his soulmate,” he said with a firm voice.

James' eyes snapped from Scorpius to Albus, and his expression was filled with panic. But before he could raise any concern, Albus stopped him.

“You don’t need to worry, I’m fine. I’m lucky, that my Soulmate Magic is weak, diluted in a muggle’s blood over past generations. I didn’t even notice… until two weeks ago when I found Scorpius’ name on the potion order from St Mungo’s. I went to see him and… I knew,” Albus finished off and looked on Scorpius, whose eyes sparkled with devotion.

“Wow, I didn't even know it was possible… For the same sex… You know… And my own department is doing research!” Teddy wondered, which sparked Scorpius’ interest.

“Really? Unspeakables are researching the Soulmate Curse?” he asked curiously.

“Yes, but you know, I really can’t talk about it,” Teddy smiled apologetically and leaned closer to Scorpius, “but I would be more than interested in what you have found, if it’s ok with you? Especially about yours and Albus’ case, because I don’t believe that anything like this has been recorded so far.”

“Of course,” Scorpius exclaimed and jumped from his chair. “Let’s go to the living room, I’ll show you my notes,” he led Teddy away. “By the way, how much do you know about your dad’s close friend Sirius Black?” he asked Teddy as they left the kitchen.

James and Albus stayed at the table alone.

“So, will you do a soul-bonding ceremony?” James blurted out.

Albus was shocked by the suggestion. “No fucking way! We’re not even dating!”

James looked puzzled. “You’re not back together?” he asked.

“No! Is that what you all think? That when you meet your soulmate you just bang them?”

“I don’t know, isn't that the point?”

Albus snorted. “You don’t have to do a bonding ritual or have sex in order to connect souls. Right, the bonding ritual creates a permanent link thanks to the Soulmate Syndrome and its symptoms vanish completely, but you can connect through sharing magic or emotions…”

James squinted his eyes like he was trying to look deeper – under Albus’ facade. “That’s what you’re doing? Sharing magic and emotions?”

“Look, I know how it sounds…” Albus sighed. “We haven't solved everything yet and since the main goal is to break the Soulmate Curse, this is just a temporary fix. Believe me, it’s hard for me to be this close to him…”

“I’m sorry for being such a pain in the ass,” James said in the momentary silence, and Albus dismissed his apology with a nod and a hum as if nothing had happened. “You know I’m here for you, to support you, no matter what. I just think you deserve to be happy and it breaks my heart when I see you struggling again…”

“It’s ok, James, really… I know it isn’t healthy beating myself up over the fact that I never stopped loving him… I just… When I saw him in the hospital… I couldn’t let him die, James,” Albus sniffed and James walked over him to muffle Albus’ sharp sobs on his broad shoulder.

It was weird to confess to James, to let it all out – Albus’ biggest fears and secrets which he were hiding from Scorpius. To acknowledge his feelings should feel liberating. But instead of relief, his heart clenched. He could have lost him. He could have lost the only person he ever loved or will love.

“Hey, Al,” Scorpius barged in but stopped abruptly when he saw how Albus was clutching James' shirt for dear life. “What happened here?” he asked, dumbfounded.

Albus detangled himself from James and wiped his eyes.

“I was just making fun of Albus´ broom abilities,” James said jokingly to cover for him. “I suggested joining my junior league training, to get better, he can't take a joke” he smirked. “So, are you done with geeking-out?” he redirected his teasing on Teddy and Scorpius as they sat back at the table.

“You wouldn’t believe what just happened.” Scorpius leaned towards Albus, “Teddy offered me a job!”

Albus snapped himself out from moping and focused on Scorpius.

“Teddy was so impressed by my research that he is going to arrange a meeting for me with the Head of the Department of Mysteries – with  _ beep beep _ ,” instead of the last two words, a high-pitched sound escaped from Scorpius’ mouth. “I meant  _ beep beep _ ,” the same sound chirped again. “What the fudge?” Scorpius cursed and covered his mouth.

Teddy looked amused. “You can’t say the name of an Unspeakable,” he said cryptically.

“But you told me, I already know the name of your boss,” Scorpius argued.

“Besides, you’re an Unspeakable yourself,  _ Edward Remus Lupin _ ,” James emphasized Teddy’s whole name.

“It’s a Fidelius Charm, slightly modified on people. You all can say my name, because you’re my family and I stated you not to be affected by the charm. Where else did you think the name Unspeakable came from?” Teddy explained over a fit of laughter.

“That’s wicked!” Scorpius cheered. 


	9. Breaking the Curse

“How’s Scorpius doing?” Winnie asked Albus over their lunch a couple weeks after. “I haven’t seen him much lately…”

“He’s fine,” Albus swallowed, “busy with his research for Unspeakables. Field agents from his department have discovered some ancient relief from Mesopotamia, which is possibly tied to the origin of the Soulmate Curse. I hardly see him either these days, he’s working so hard on the translation of that damn stone,” he complained.

“But it’s a good thing, isn’t it? If he succeeds you both will be free, right?”

“I guess… But meanwhile, I’m losing my mind,” Albus grumped. “He’s started exercising every morning, which means he either parades around the apartment in some of those sinfully tight jogging leggings or he’s sweating from doing push-ups in our living room in nothing more than just underwear… He’ll be the death of me, I swear, Winnie,” he groaned.

Winnie giggled. “You can't blame him for wanting to get back in shape,” she objected. “You could join him…”

“Probably because I’m a pathetic wanker, I started to wear my old shorts from school-years to show off my calves,” Albus stated dryly.

“Oh, no, you haven’t,” Winnie roared but the laughter died on her lips almost instantly, when a blue glow flew over her and landed in the shape of an albatross next to Albus.

“Al, please, come to the ministry. Hurry,” the sound of Scorpius’ voice filled their ears.

“Is this Scorpius’ Patronus?” Winnie said shrilly.

“I’m sorry, tell Derek he’s in charge of the lab for today, I have to go,” Albus barked out and ran to the nearest Apparition Point.

He landed in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic and with no time to adjust his steps he jumped to the gates.

“Scorpius Malfoy, I have to see Scorpius Malfoy,” he called out to a commissionaire behind the reception, who gave him a quizzical look.

Right, he wasn’t able to hear Scorpius’ name because of that bloody Nomen Fidelius Charm, it flashed through Albus’ head.

“It’s ok, Mr. Shunpike, please, let Mr. Potter in,” a young man waved to the clerk behind the desk, who reluctantly placed Albus’ wand on a set of antique-looking scales and opened the bar for him. “Please, follow me,” a mysterious man told Albus when he got his wand back, and maneuvered him into an elevator.

“Will you, for Merlin’s sake, tell what happened?” Albus demanded to know.

The man sneered. “I’m afraid I’m not able to tell you anything because this is the Department of Mysteries’ affair, but there is no need to be alarmed,” he said as they walked through a labyrinth of gloomy corridors, passing by countless doors.

“This is you,” the man announced in front of one of the doors, identical to the others. He turned on his heel and disappeared behind a corner.

Albus knocked and walked in.

The room looked like a small semicircular amphitheater, with rows of benches concentrating from the top, where Albus stood, to the bottom, where Scorpius was sitting on the floor in front of a block of wall decorated with complex patterns. Scrolls of parchment and vials were scattered around him.

Albus ran downstairs, his steps echoing ominously through the dark.

“Hi, what is this all about?” He spoke to Scorpius.

Scorpius jerked his head up. “You’re here!” he stood up and hugged him. “This piece of tomb wall contains instructions for invoke Soulmate Magic, the first and original record of how to create the Soulmate Curse and bond two souls together,” Scorpius trailed his fingers across the relief, “and I finally cracked it!”

“Wow, that’s amazing! You are amazing!” he patted Scorpius on his back, even though he wasn’t so sure he would like where this finding would lead.

“With this,” Scorpius continued, “I was able to formulate a counter-spell! Albus, we can break the curse right now!”

Albus gasped for air.

“But we don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” Scorpius interjected.

“Ehm, no, that’s ok…” Albus mumbled.

“Or we can take some time to think about it,” Scorpius suggested. “We probably should. I’m sorry, I got carried away…” 

“No, really, let’s go do it!” Albus said firmly. “What do you need me to do?”

Scorpius shifted on his feet awkwardly. “A potion is needed. It’s not too different from the Soulmate Withdrawal Potion, I’ve already obtained all the ingredients – you have to switch asafetida for darnel and mix the final product with a Mandrake Restorative Draught,” he instructed Albus and handed him a scroll with directions.

Albus set a potioneering station on one of the desks in the front row. He chopped ingredients, adding them one after another into the caldron and stirring the forming liquid. Scorpius stood next to him and scribbled everything Albus did on the parchment in front of him.

As a final step, Albus poured into the bubbling mixture the Mandrake Restorative Draught. They watched the potion carefully, shoulders pressed against each other, and watched breathlessly as the color of the potion turned from green to a golden hue of yellow. 

Albus thought about how nice it was to work by Scorpius’ side. It reminded him of Hogwarts’ days. Innocent, full of potential, the pure joy of Scorpius’ presence. For the past three months, when they lived together, he had often felt like this. Happy and content. And now, if they succeeded, everything will be over. Scorpius will move out, and maybe they will remain friends, but everything will be different.

With heavy heart, Albus poured the potion into two glasses and passed one to Scorpius.

“Does it look right?” he asked.

“Frankly, I have no clue, it’s never been done before. But fortune favors the bold, right?” Scorpius said in a sing-song voice, and tossed the contents of the glass down his throat.

Albus followed his lead.

“What’s next?” he asked and wiped his mouth. Luckily it tasted much better than Polyjuice Potion.

“Next we have to manifest our magic in order to extract the curse from it.”

“Huh?”

“Let me show you,” Scorpius took Albus by his hand and led him to the center of the amphitheater. “Since we already have a lot of practice in sharing magic, I think we have the best shot by replicating that. Let our magic merge, try to focus the flow in the space between us and I will use a Containment Charm to trap it inside an orb.”

“Copy that,” Albus nodded, straightened his stance, and reached his free hand for Scorpius. When both of their hands were connected, they closed their eyes and concentrated deeply.

Albus tasted the magic on the tip of his tongue. He swallowed all of his feelings for Scorpius and a stream of magical energy burst out from his heart. He opened his eyes and saw a stream of light dancing and twisting between them.

“ _ Sphaera Deprehendo _ ,” Scorpius chanted and a golden bubble started to form around the light, pulsing in rainbow colors. When the bubble sealed into an orb-shape, it ascended high above them.

Scorpius was looking up, following the trajectory of the orb, and Albus couldn’t take his gaze from him. The dim light gave Scorpius a soft expression – his grey-blue eyes were gleaming like a summer sky after a storm, soft plushy lips were slightly parted and long delicate fingers were entwined in Albus’ grip.

Albus wasn’t sure who took the step, but eventually, they ended up with their chests pressed together so tightly that Albus could feel Scorpius’ heartbeat.

“The last step, right?” Albus locked eyes with Scorpius.

Scorpius nodded and cleared his throat. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do it,” he breathed out, and a single tear rolled down his face. “I can’t lose you again. I’m such a horrible person, but I don’t want to let you go…”

It took Albus exactly two heartbeats to decide what to do next.

“You’re not a horrible person, you’re a fool if you think that by breaking the curse you will get rid of me.” Albus smirked, leaned closer to Scorpius, and connected their lips.

Albus pecked Scorpius’ bottom lip, the kiss was soft and reserved. Scorpius' eyes went wide with the realization. He was thirsty for more. He tilted his head to lock their mouths together and slid his tongue in. An electrifying shock shot through Albus like lightning from head to toe. Albus put all his longing and passion into kissing Scorpius, their tongues rubbing gently against each other, and Scorpius pressed Albus with each motion closer to the front row tables until Albus hit its edge hard and they broke the kiss.

The air around them was intoxicating, and the heavy scent of magic stuck to their palate.

“Scorpius, you’re the smartest, funniest, most kindhearted person I have ever met. And hot as hell,” Albus said softly and caressed Scorpius' face. “I want to kiss you, to take care of you, and to laugh with you to the end of my life. But not because of some stupid curse. Please, break the curse and let me choose to stay with you over and over and over, every single day, till death do us part.”

“I love you so much, Al, I have never stopped loving you,” Scorpius sniffed slightly.

“Me too… Do it now!” Albus encouraged him.

With a shaky voice, Scorpius started the incantation.

The orb above their head started to shake and pulse much faster. Thunder roared and a flash of light cut through the air, struck between them, and tossed them to the side.

The orb imploded and the silence rang in their ears.

Albus scrambled on his feet and ran to Scorpius, who was lying on the floor nearby.

“Are you ok? Does it hurt?” Albus leaned over Scorpius and pushed the torn shirt off his chest. There was a red mark in the shape of lightning burned out in the skin above his heart.

Scorpius touched the burn and hissed. “It’s not that bad,” he reassured Albus and pulled himself up to his elbows.

“How about you?” He asked Albus and reached to the left side of his chest.

Albus looked down and realized his pectoral muscle was throbbing with pain. The same lightning mark had been burned into his skin.

“Oh, fuck me,” he whined and slipped the destroyed shirt off his shoulders.

Scorpius took his wand out and charmed bandages over Albus and his wound.

“I didn’t feel any of your magic,” Albus looked, startled, at his treated torso.

“Your try,” Scorpius urged him and Albus helped him up by using a Hover Charm.

“Nothing,” Scorpius confirmed, a soft smile forming on his lips. “I don’t feel any magic connection at all! That means we broke the curse, Al!” he exclaimed and jumped around Albus’ neck.

“Ouch,” Albus put Scorpius back on the floor, but he left his arms wrapped around his waist. “How fast can we get out of here?” he muttered into Scorpius' ear.

“I have to finish the protocol, write a report, oversee clean-up, file potion ingredients…” Scorpius enumerated.

“Ok, ok, I get it, you can’t leave for like another century,” Albus snarled, “so, how about you lock the door from the inside…” he purred lustfully.

“What is on that dirty mind of yours?” Scorpius smiled.

“Oh, you would like to know, wouldn’t you? I will show you, don’t worry. So far, I can tell you it involves much fewer clothes than we are wearing right now. Like much, much less, like no clothes at all,” Albus reeled off while he was gently kissing Scorpius’ neck.

Scorpius giggled over the ticklish sensation. He raised his wand and casted Locking and Quietening spells over his shoulder. “ _ Colloportus _ !  _ Quietus _ ,” he mumbled under his breath and than he dove into kissing Albus back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking to the end! Share your thoughts in the comments, it’ll make my day! :)


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